The Untold Tales
by starsword
Summary: In short the Untold Tales of The Marauders and co. For full summary see inside. I started writing this just after the OOTP came out so there are going to be a lot of differences between this fic and what we've found out since. Slightly AU because of that.
1. Summary

We all know what happened in Harry's time at Hogwarts, and we know a little of what happened during the famous (or rather infamous) time of the Marauders. But now we'll take a look into their time at Hogwarts (and the holidays). Follow Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs as they play Quidditch, pull pranks, transform, and of course win the heart of Lily Evans and co. Join Lily, Diana, Emma, Rose, and Larkasia as they try to stay away from the most famous pranksters of all time; while learning magic, brewing potions, and yelling themselves hoarse.


	2. Letters and Meetings

**Chapter 1- Letters and Meetings**

It had been a hot summer and Lily Evans had taken to spending the first week of her summer holidays in the house where it was coolest. One particularly hot day she came downstairs to see her family sat around the table. Her mother was dishing up breakfast, her sister was sitting at the table staring into space, and her father was reading the post; as she sat down opposite her sister her father handed her a letter.

'It's for you Lily' he said offhanded, reading a postcard from his brother. Lily looked down at the letter in her hand and read the address:

'Miss L. Evans

The Bedroom on the left

23 Beech Lane

Little Whinging

Surrey'

Frowning slightly she tucked a loose strand of her fiery red hair behind her ear and opened the letter, out fell two pieces of heavy paper, like the envelope was made of. Lily read the first letter, telling her she had been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lily didn't even pick up the second one.

'Someone's got a really bad sense of humour' she said as she put the paper aside and turned to the bacon and eggs her mother had just put on her plate. Michael Evans picked up the letter, with a slight curiosity, and read it; he sighed and looked at Lily.

'Lily, no one is trying to play a trick on you, it's real' he looked straight into his daughter's emerald green eyes. Lily was shocked at what she was hearing.

'What do you mean?' she asked quietly.

'Your Aunt Lyn also got a letter like this. She's a witch too. I didn't think anyone else apart from her children would have magic in them. Well I'll go and call Lyn, Wendy, she'll be able to help Lily best. I just hope she's remembered to keep a phone in her house,' he said turning to Lily's mother, and then he stood up and left the room. Petunia made a point to stay away from Lily the rest of the day, and the holidays at that, the only contact she made was to make snide comments about her. Aunt Lyn came to stay three days after Lily had received her letter and started to teach lily about the wizarding world, though never about magic ('You'll have plenty of time at Hogwarts to learn magic'). With only three weeks left until the start of term Aunt Lyn took Lily to Diagon Alley, her father had given her some muggle money to change into Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts at Gringotts.

Aunt Lyn promised Lily that after she had all her Hogwarts things she could then buy whatever else she wanted to buy, within a reasonable range of course. Aunt Lyn left lily in Madame Malkin's Robe's for All Occasions and went to get her potion ingredients for her.

'Hogwarts dear?' Lily nodded, 'Come in, there's a boy being measured up as well.'

Lily was led into a back room where she was put on a stool and started having the robes pinned to the right size. Next to her, on another stool, was a boy with untidy black hair, hazel eyes, and black rimmed glasses.

'First year at Hogwarts?' he asked her; Lily nodded, she was usually very shy around strangers when she was alone, the boy smiled at her encouragingly

'I'm James potter' he said.

'Lily Evans.'

'Are you the daughter of Lyn Evans?'

'No, she's my aunt. I'm a muggle-born' Lily replied. The conversation had stopped, it looked as if the boy was trying to find another subject to continue the conversation with.

'What house do you think you'll be in?' she asked.

'I dunno, I guess I'll be in Gryffindor 'cos all my family have been in there. Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad I guess, or Hufflepuff, but I'd hate to be in Slytherin.'

'Yeah, I'd probably leave,' she laughed a little to show she was joking, 'My Aunt was in Ravenclaw so I might be in there' Lily replied.

'Has your Aunt been teaching you?' James asked.

'Only about the wizarding world, not magic. Are you a pureblood?'

'Yeah; both my parents are Aurors, that's how we know your Aunt' he answered.

'Right, that's both of you done' Madame Malkin (her mother) told them, 'get the cloth cleared up girls we've got another two customers waiting.'

Lily and James walked out and stood outside the shop with their robes, looking up and down the street. Three people were coming towards them, a man and woman Lily didn't know and her Aunt Lyn.

'Ah Lily, I see you've met James' Aunt Lyn said, Lily smiled and nodded, 'This is Lucy and Carl Potter, this is my niece Lily.'

James' parents smiled at her; Lily felt a little awkward, she was surrounded by people who knew almost everything about the world she had just entered and knew almost nothing about, true Aunt Lyn had been teaching her the more important things, but at that moment it felt like a cupful of water out of a lake to Lily. Lily and James finished their school shopping together; Aunt Lyn and the Potters went to the Leaky Cauldron and left Lily and James to do any extra shopping they wanted. James grabbed Lily's arm and dragged her into Quality Quidditch Supplies.

'James we've been in here the last ten minutes. Are you actually going to buy something or are you going to continue gaping like a fish at things?' Lily asked with a grin. James gave her a look of mock anger and horror and put a hand to his heart

'Are you saying that you find the idea of spending time in a Quidditch shop boring?' he demanded, Lily rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove. They walked out and Lily headed towards the bookshop; James stopped an lily looked at him questioningly.

'Please tell me we are not going into the bookshop again?' he said. Lily rolled her eyes (again) and tried to drag him in, and then she had an idea.

'They've probably got a lot of books on Quidditch in there' she said quietly. James grinned and bowed to her.

'Well them lead on m'lady' Lily laughed and they walked into Flourish and Blotts. Lily bought a few more books for background reading while James looked for the books on Quidditch; as she went to pay for her books she noticed a book on the new releases titled 'Quidditch through the Ages', grinning she picked it up and paid for all her books. She found James looking longingly at the book and dragged him out before he could buy it. Once outside she pretended to be looking in her shoppi8ng bags to see if she needed anything else.

'I was gonna buy that' James said, obviously annoyed. Lily looked up at him.

'Am I going deaf or did James Potter just confess to actually wanting to buy a book?' she said in mock surprise, 'Are you sure you're feeling alright?' James stuck his tongue out at her as she reached into her shopping bag, grinning.

'Here,' she said handing him the book, he looked at her surprised, 'I got it just now, that's why I dragged you out,' she laughed at the look on his face. He took the book and then pulled her into a tight hug.

'Thanks Lily' he said. She was a little taken aback by his sudden show of emotion, but recovered quickly and smiled.

'Come on, we better get back' she said.

'Where you off to, potter?' came a voice behind them. A boy with a curtain of greasy black hair and a protruding hooked nose leaned against a wall with another boy, he had a pale, pointed face and bleach blonde hair.

'Snape, Malfoy,' James said, he put a hand on Lily's arm. She felt a little scared.

'Whose this, Potter? Newest girlfriend?' Malfoy sneered.

'You wish' James retorted; he tightened his grip slightly on Lily's arm, he was a little worried as to why Snape and Malfoy where so interested in lily, especially as she was muggle-born. Snape gave him an evil smile and walked past with Malfoy, making sure they bumped into Lily as they walked past. James watched them warily and then quickly dragged Lily towards the Leaky Cauldron.

'James, what's wrong? Who were they?' Lily asked, wrenching her arm free. James sighed and slowed down, he turned to face her.

'The boy with the blonde hair was Lucius Malfoy and the other was Severus Snape. They're both pure bloods and think all muggle-borns are scum, I've only met them a couple of times at parties, and don't really like them. Correction, I can't stand them. If they don't end up in Slytherin I won't eat for an entire term.'

They quietly made their way back to the Leak Cauldron, Lily thinking over what James had just told her; she now realised that Hogwarts obviously wasn't going to be all fun and games. Lily, Aunt Lyn, and the potters were all going to stay at the Leaky Cauldron that night and then return home; Lily was going to Aunt Lyn's and then on to Hogwarts from there. Whilst they were having breakfast the next morning, however, the innkeeper came up to them.

'I have an urgent message for Lyn Evans' he said, indicating to his office where they could hear a fire crackling.

'Thank you,' she said and followed him through. James' parents cast grave looks to each other, Lily tried to get it out of her mind and focus on breakfast. Aunt Lyn sat down and sighed, looking weary.

'Ministry business Lyn?' Carl Potter asked her, Aunt Lyn nodded and the adults had a quiet conversation that Lily and James couldn't quite hear.

'Do you want Lily to stay with us for the time being?' Lucy asked, pushing back her brown hair with a quick look at Lily. Aunt Lyn paused for a moment.

'I think it would be best. Who knows how long we'll be there for. Could be a few hours, could be a week; that is if you don't mind Lily?' Aunt Lyn said turning to her, 'You'll be safer there than at your parents' home. And better understood I dare say.' She was of course referring to Petunia.

Lily nodded, 'I don't mind. I'd prefer to be anywhere Petunia isn't at the moment though, she doesn't seem to like me very much any more… if she ever really liked me much at all,' she sighed and looked down at her food. She had always gotten along with petunia really well, or so she thought, until the letter had come; now petunia would hardly even look at her, she had cried a few times about it and had even tried talking to petunia, but it hadn't worked.

Aunt Lyn left five minutes later and Lily went up to her room to finish packing, her black owl stood in her cage and looked at her with her bright blue eyes.

'Why does everyone I like seem to hate me Opal?' she asked the owl sadly as she sat on her bed having now finished her packing.

'They don't' a voice answered behind her. Lily looked round and saw James standing in her doorway. She looked down at the floor.

'It feels that way,' she said as he shut the door and sat next to her on the bed. 'My sister's been my best friend my whole life and now, ever since I got my letter, she's hated me.' James saw tears start falling from her green eyes.

'What about your parents?' he asked softly.

'They're proud of me, which makes Petunia's rejection even worse. I could take anything Hogwarts and everyone in it throws at me if I just knew Petunia was at home waiting for me to come home, replying to all my letters… I just want her on my side.' Lily started sobbing and soon she found herself crying into James' shoulder, she couldn't remember how she had gone from sitting next to him to leaning into his shoulder with her arms around his neck and his arms around her. At that moment, though, she didn't care; all she cared about was that someone did care about her and cared about what happened to her. They stayed motionless for a few minutes until there was a knock at the door.


	3. Hogwarts

_A/N: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my first two reviewers 'maddgolfer01' and 'Marauder Stalker' thanks for reviewing. See the bottom for personal thank you's! I'd also like to dedicate this chapter to Katie for emailing me and writing good fan fics, keep it up! Also to the Rum Runners and Jen cos they'll be the only one's reading this of my in school friends. Ok… I think all the dedications are over… on with the story._

**Chapter 2- Hogwarts**

'James? Lily? We're leaving in about five minutes, get your things and be downstairs in two minutes' Mrs Potter called.

'Ok mum' James called back and let go of Lily, they looked at each other and James wiped away a tear.

'Lily? Don't ever think no one cares, because I do' he told her and then walked out of her room. Lily sat there for a few moments and then collected her trunk and Opal's cage and met James in the hallway. When they were downstairs with their luggage Mr Potter led them to the fireplace and took out a jar full of powder, he offered it to Lily.

'Ladies first' he said with a smile not unlike his son's.

'Err…' Lily said, not sure what to do.

'She hasn't travelled by Floo powder before, Carl' Mrs Potter said, smiling at Lily. She explained what to do, this did nothing to calm Lily's nerves.

'I'll go first, Mum' James said, 'Just do exactly what I do' he told Lily and took Opal and Razor's, his barn owl, cages. He walked into the grate.

'Cherry House' he said and was engulfed in green flames. Lily was now petrified.

'Now speak very clearly, dear. I'll come after you with your trunk' Mrs potter said kindly. Lily took a handful of powder and stepped into the grate.

'Cherry House' she said and closed her eyes. She felt herself spinning and then falling forwards; she felt two arms catch her and she looked up to see a boy with black hair and a handsome face smiling at her. Lily stood up and looked around; James was standing next to the fireplace with the two owl cages.

'Lily, this is Sirius Black, and old friend of mine. Apparently he arrived here five minutes ago. The Black's are another pure blood family with ideas like Malfoy and Snape, but Sirius is nothing like them,' James told her. Sirius looked at lily.

'What he means is I hate the whole lot of them, well except for one of two' he told her, he looked out the window with a look of loathing on his face, 'The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin for centuries, except for a few, and are very into the dark arts. I met James at a party ages ago, my parents wanted me to mix with people like Malfoy,' he let out a bark-like laugh, 'The only mixing with them I'll do is the mixing of a potion to get rid of their ba-'

'Sirius?' James asked, 'Shut up mate.'

Sirius grinned at James as Mrs Potter stepped out of the fireplace. Lily looked around the room she was in, it was painted a light brown with a cream carpet and multiple chairs and tables, bookcases lined most of the walls and a chess set stood in one corner.

'Sirius! When did you get here? You haven't run off again have you?' Mrs Potter asked sternly as she handed Lily her trunk. Sirius looked a little awkward.

'Well I didn't run off exactly. I just yelled at mum I was going. I dunno if she heard me though, she was yelling at me about not upholding the family tradition,' Sirius replied.

'Come on, I'll show you your rooms' James said quickly, he and Sirius carried Lily's trunk up the stairs and she followed with James' school things and the owl cages. Lily was realising just how big James' house was when they reached a corridor and stopped at a door at the end. James opened it and lily gasped. It was a large room that had a burgundy carpet and deep red walls, a double bed had a crimson throw over and curtains; there was a desk, two chests of drawers, a wardrobe, and a door that led to an en-suite bathroom. James grinned.

'Lily you're supposed to sleep in it not standing in the doorway gaping at it.'

Lily gave him a playful shove and he fell backwards onto the bed; she laughed as Sirius started attacking him with a pillow. When James and Sirius included her in the pillow fight she ran into the bathroom and locked the door, laughing as the boys cursed on the other side. After a few more minutes she heard them turn on each other again and came out. The boys grinned at each other and grabbed her before she could lock herself back in. They dragged the laughing and kicking Lily to the bed where they pinned her down and started hitting her with pillows.

'Can I just- point out- that if I- bring my knees up- you two are- going to be- in a lot- of pain' she said as she fight the pillows, however they did stop and let her up. She laughed at the look on their faces. _She's so pretty when she laughs _James thought, _actually… she's pretty all the time._

'Hello? Earth to James' Sirius was waving his hand in front of James' face.

'What?' James asked stupidly. Lily laughed and Sirius grinned as he sat down on the bed, James smiled and sank into a chair; he was just about to speak when Mrs Potter came in.

'Lily,' she said quietly, 'I'm afraid I have a bit of bad news.'

'Is it Aunt Lyn? Mum, Dad? Petunia?' Lily asked, she didn't really know why she said her sister's name but she had grown so used to worrying about her it was almost second nature.

'It's your Aunt Lyn,' Mrs Potter replied, 'She's been admitted to St. Mungo's. We've been told she's only been hit with a few small curses and should be out soon but they're worried some other damage may have been done. She'll be coming here when she gets out and you're welcome to stay too.'

'What happened?' Lily asked, she felt a lump rising in her throat; Sirius looked at James and they exchanged worried glances.

'She was part of a band of Aurors tracking a death Eater and they were ambushed. None were killed but all of them were hit with a few curses,' Mrs Potter explained, 'I shouldn't worry, she'll be fine in a few days.'

With that she left. Lily's mind had gone numb, Aunt Lyn had told her that being an Auror was dangerous but she hadn't thought it would happen to Aunt Lyn so soon.

'Lily?' James said quietly sitting next to her, 'Lily?'

The last few weeks of the summer holidays passed almost uneventfully; Aunt Lyn came out of St Mungo's after three days. James and Sirius taught her how to play wizard's chess, the Potter's house elf, Lena, seemed to live to stuff lily full of food; in fact the most eventful part of the holidays was when Sirius 'accidentally' tipped pumpkin juice over James' head and James chased Sirius around the house and gardens with a sack of flour trying to hit him with it, both of them came back with an empty sack and looking a little whiter than when they had left the table earlier. Finally the last day of the holidays arrived and they arrived at King's Cross with fifteen minutes to spare. When they walked through the barrier, though, Sirius' face fell.

'What's wro… ah' James said. Sirius sighed; he was in for it now.

'We'll put your trunk in the compartment' James called after him. Sirius dragged his feet over to his parents and smiled.

'Hello mother, nice summer?' he asked pleasantly. His mother seemed about ready to explode with rage.

'What did you think you were doing going to a house full of blood traitors? I tell you now boy if you don't get into Slytherin you won't have a house to call home!' she yelled a him.

'I'm not your son! I never have been and never will be,' he snapped back, he turned to walk away but his father grabbed his arm.

'Be warned boy, I still have the cane at home and you will be coming to us in the summer, whether you get into Slytherin or not. If I have to beat some sense into you I will,' he threatened in little more than a whisper. His father shoved him away and Sirius walked onto the train; his face showing anger and, though he wouldn't admit it, a little fear. When he walked into the compartment they thought it best to wait until he had calmed down. With only ten minutes left until the train started a boy with sandy coloured hair opened the door, he looked like one well aimed hex would finish him off.

'Do you mind if I sit here?' he asked, lily nodded before the other two said anything. He smiled at her and sat next to her after putting his trunk in the rack.

'Remus Lupin,' he said offering her his hand.

'Lily Evans,' she said, shaking his hand, 'This is James Potter and Sirius Black.'

'I'm no Black, both me and my parents have agreed on that,' Sirius snapped, 'Many times' he added in a quiet voice and rubbed the top of his arm.

'Fine. This is Sirius with no known surname' Lily said with a grin. Sirius gave her a dirty look.

'For God sake Sirius!' Lily said heatedly, 'Black is a name not the mould of a person. You can choose who you are.'

'Yer right' he muttered grumpily.

'"What's Montague? It is nor hand nor foot,

Nor arm nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man."' Lily paused for a split second then added, '"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other word would smell as sweet."'

Sirius, James, and Remus gave her blank looks.

'Err… Lily? Who the hell is Montague?' Sirius asked. Lily gave him a questioning look, then started laughing.

'You've never heard of William Shakespeare have you?' she asked.

'Err… no' James answered, Lily laughed again.

'He was a muggle playwright' Remus said. Lily smiled and nodded.

'It was a quote from one of his plays' she told them.

'What the hell has that got to do with my name?' Sirius asked. Lily shook her head. The compartment door opened again, two girls stood in the doorway.

'Do you mind, everywhere else is full?' one of them asked; they were twins, almost identical except for their eyes.

'Come in ladies' Sirius said, cheerful again. James caught Lily's eyes and they turned away from each other trying not to laugh. The two girls sat down and looked at the others.

'I'm Emma' the one tin said, she had black hair and brown eyes, 'Emma Clemment.'

'I'm Diana,' the other twin said, her eyes were blue.

'I'm Sirius Black,' Lily rolled her eyes; 'This is James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Lily Evans.'

As the train started the compartment door opened again and a girl with brown hair and blue eyes stood with a trunk.

'Can I…' she didn't finish because she was thrown forwards into the compartment with her trunk, Sirius and James were on their feet as two boys walked in.

'Well at least she got out of our way,' Snape said lazily to Malfoy. They both laughed, Emma and Diana were helping the girl up, Sirius and James made to take a step forwards but Lily was there first.

'Petrificus Totalus' she snarled and Malfoy fell to the floor, stiff as a board, his eyes gave Lily a dirty look, Sirius and James stood with their mouths open.

'Get out' she snarled at Snape, 'Get out!'

'Or what?' he sneered, performing the counter-curse on Malfoy. He turned back to lily to see the hand a second before it made contact with his face. WHACK. Snape staggered back into Malfoy, they fell back into the corridor as Lily stepped out with her wand pointed at them. Giving her evil glares they moved on to their compartment. Lily stomped back into the compartment and slammed the door shut. She looked at Sirius and James who were looking at her open-mouthed.

'What?' she asked as she sat down. They burst out laughing and clutched their sides, Lily gaped at them.

'What?' she asked again, she looked around and found the rest of the compartment in hysterics.

'Malfoy's face when you jinxed him!' Sirius choked out.

'Where'd you learn to do that?' James asked sitting next to her.

'I read the school books,' she replied sheepishly. James shook his head and put his arm around her shoulders.

'Ladies and Gentlemen I present the most dangerous woman in the world' James said; everyone laughed, including Lily.

'Are you ok?' Remus asked the girl, she was sitting next to him.

'yeah, thanks. I'm Rose Longuard' she replied. Lily smiled at her, she realised James' arm was still around her shoulders, part of her wanted to move so he had to move his arm and part of her wanted him to leave it here. She left it and the train journey passed uneventfully. Finally they changed into their robes and stepped off onto the platform.

'Firs' years over here!' called a voice that belonged to a gigantic man. They followed him to a small fleet of boats; Lily, James, Sirius and Remus took one boat, and Diana, Rose, and Emma were followed by another girl whose hood was up, covering her face, only a bit of red hair could be seen. As the boats carried them across the lake Lily became a little apprehensive, how were they sorted into their houses? Aunt Lyn had never told her. Finally they got their first sight of Hogwarts, James heard Lily gasp next to him and grinned. Everyone was looking up at the castle, well everyone except Sirius who was looking at the girl sitting with Diana, Emma and Rose; her hood had been pushed back slightly and he was taking in her features that were lit by the light from the castle; Remus noticed and nudged him, he grinned at Sirius who blushed slightly and turned back to look at the castle. The turrets reaching up to the dark sky seemed to glow with the light from the windows, giving it a magical appearance (though considering this is Hogwarts that's not surprising is it?); the boats bumped into the shore and they stepped out. They followed the giant to a pair of huge oak doors, he knocked on them. A woman whose black hair was up in a tight bun stood in the doorway.

'Firs' years Professor McGonagall' he said.

'Thank you, Hagrid' the woman replied, she turned to the first years, 'This way.'

They followed her into a small chamber.

'In a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates,' Professor McGonagall told them, 'But before you do you will be sorted into your houses. Now while you are here your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points, any rule breaking and you will lose points. The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now follow me.'

The group of first years followed her into a brilliantly lit hall where students were sat around four long tables, at the end sat what appeared to be the teachers. Sirius had his first true sighting of Albus Dumbledore, for some odd reason his nerves disappeared as he looked at the wise face. They grouped in front of a three legged stool where an old hat sat. As they looked at it a seam opened and it began to sing. Sirius, though, heard little of the song except a little about the traits of the four houses, he was watching Dumbledore; for some reason he couldn't take his eyes off the old man who sat before him, he saw Dumbledore look straight and him and smile, Sirius gave a weak smile in return and looked at McGonagall who was unrolling a piece of parchment as the applause behind them died down.

'When I call your name, you will step forward and place the Sorting Hat on your head,' she said, 'Aberworth Zara.'

A tall girl with a beak like nose stepped forward, the hat was placed on her head and in two seconds it shouted,

'Slytherin'

Sirius watched her go and saw his cousin Bellatrix (in the year above him) watching him intently with narrowed eyes.

'Black, Sirius'

Sirius walked forward and sat on the stool, only one thought was in his mind as it was put on his head. _I'll die before I go to Slytherin._

'Really?' said the hat in his ear.

_I don't care where I go, you can put me back on the train if you really want to just not Slytherin_, Sirius thought, he felt certain he was going to pay dearly for those words when he went home but focused on what the hat was saying.

'Well you've certainly got courage,' the hat commented, 'With the fiery temper of the Black's, in fact with most traits of the Black family, and yet… and yet you aren't a Black at heart. Now that's interesting, you seem to have suffered at your home. Well Slytherin will do nothing for you, you belong in GRYFFINDOR.'

Sirius grinned like a Cheshire cat as he headed off to the Gryffindor table giving his cousin a grin from across the hall as he sat down.

'Clement, Diana'

Diana stepped forward and nervously sat on the stool. Sirius watched her and crossed his fingers under the table, holding his breath.

'Gryffindor'

Diana almost ran to sit opposite Sirius at the table, he grinned and winked at her and watched as Emma walked up.

'Gryffindor' the hat shouted again and Emma joined her twin. The three of them watched as a three students went to Ravenclaw.

'Evans, Lily'

Remus watched her walk up; he sighed, he had made friends already but he would have one secret from them his entire life: his condition, his disease… his curse. He was snapped out of his thoughts when the hat called out 'Gryffindor'. Lily walked down to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Emma. A small boy with black hair was made the first Hufflepuff, four more went to Slytherin, another six to Gryffindor and another two to Ravenclaw. Then the list went to the L's.

'Longwood, Rose'

Rose sat on the chair nervously and listened to the hat mutter to itself.

_You know, some say that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness… does that count if you're a hat?_ She thought.

'Let's not get into a conversation like that, we'll be here forever' the hat chuckled, 'Well you better get going … GRYFFINDOR.'

Rose sat next to Lily, and then Remus heard it.

'Lupin, Remus'

Remus took a deep breath and sat down as the hat was placed on his head.

'What's this? A werewolf?' the hat said in his ear, 'My, my, this is something new. Well you have a good mind, very good mind. I should put you in Ravenclaw… but you wouldn't excel there would you? No, perhaps not. I see loyalty too and… little fear. Hardly any, but that's not really surprising after all you've been through… you only fear the moon and being deserted by you're friends. You'll need brave friends perhaps… Well you would do well in Ravenclaw, but no, Ravenclaw wouldn't help you to become the best you could. No, better be… GRYFFINDOR'.

Remus almost laughed with relief and sat on Sirius' left side and watched the rest of the sorting. Malfoy went to Slytherin and sat next to Sirius' other cousin Narcissa, who had been sorted with them. A few more were sorted into Hufflepuff before a small boy with watery eyes and a pointed nose was sorted into Gryffindor, then James came and sat next to Sirius.

'Hey Sirius, your girlfriends in Gryffindor too,' Remus whispered to him with an evil grin on his face, Sirius elbowed him in the side and Remus snorted into his hand. Snape went to Slytherin (and I have an apology to make to everyone. My friend pointed out to me yesterday that I said Snape was a pureblood in my first chapter. I know he is a half-blood but I say in my defence that everyone thinks he is a pure blood, therefore James wouldn't know any different. I'll stop digging a hole now and get on with the story…). Finally the Sorting finished and the hat and stool were taken away by Professor McGonagall. Dumbledore stood up, his arms spread out in welcome.

'Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you.'

Everyone laughed and started helping themselves to food. Sirius eyes lit up as he saw the food laid out before him.

'Uh oh…' James and Lily said in unison before Sirius started shovelling food onto his plate. From experience James and Lily grabbed their favourite food in large quantities before leaving the rest to Sirius' bottomless stomach. Sirius was already reaching for second helpings before the others were halfway through their first.

'Sirius, can I point out the food isn't going to disappear five seconds after you look at it,' Remus said as Sirius placed his tenth roast potato in his mouth, he gave a huge swallow and grinned at Remus.

'I know, I'm just hungry. I haven't eaten since the train journey,' he replied. Lily and James laughed and the food disappeared.

'Hey! I was gonna have that potato' Sirius whined, but the plates were soon filled with puddings, 'Ok you're forgiven.'

'Sirius?' Lily asked innocently.

'Yeah?' he said, looking up from his apple pie.

'Has anyone ever told you, you have the stomach and constitution of a pig?' (sorry pips…)

Everyone laughed, Sirius grinned at her.

'Yep. You have, numerous times' he replied. Lily laughed and the food disappeared again. They talked for a while waiting for Dumbledore to stand up again. They turned to talk about their families.

'I'm half and half' Rose said, 'My Mum's a muggle and my Dad's a wizard. Luckily Mum didn't really mind, she was really pleased when I got my letter.'

'That doesn't usually happen does it?' the girl from the boat asked, 'I mean, usually Muggles get scared and run off when they find out their partner's a wizard or witch. Your parents are really lucky.'

'Thanks,' Rose said with a smile. Sirius took a proper look at her now; she had reddish-brown hair with five brilliant red streaks placed a strategic intervals, though it was her eyes that interested him most, she had bright yellow ones, almost like a cat's.

'I'm Lily, Lily Evans' Lily said, smiling at the girl.

'I'm Larkasia Starsword' the girl replied, 'But just called me Kasia, or Kas. Larkasia's such a mouthful.' (I'd lie to point out a bit of pronunciation here because a few of my friends pronounce it Lark-Asia. I'm saying now that is wrong. It's pronounced Lark-as-e-a. Sorry just had to put this in.)

'I'm Sirius Black,' Remus pretended to want some pumpkin juice so he wouldn't burst out laughing, 'This is James Potter and Remus Lupin.'

'I'm Rose Longuard, this Diana Clemment, and her twin Emma,' Rose said kindly.

'So you're a pure blood James?' Rose asked, James nodded.

'Yer… that's how I managed to meet Sirius before school started; we both went to a party and got caught up in the same prank…'

Sirius grinned, 'I don't think my parents ever forgave me for that, mind you it was just another thing for them to hate me for so I didn't really care.' He suddenly went moody.

'Do you and your family not get on?' Kasia asked him, he looked up and nodded.

'My family believe the only honourable way to get through life is through the Dark Arts. They drummed it into me but I saw through it when I was old enough. I told them I didn't want anything to do with the Dark Arts and that's when it all went downhill. They keep on saying I should be more like my younger brother, Regulus, and follow the Dark Arts, follow Voldemort. I just keep ignoring them and they just keep hi… shouting at me,' he finished and glared at his cousins at the Slytherin table, he smiled sourly 'I'll be in for it when they hear I'm not in Slytherin. They said I wouldn't have a house to call home and wouldn't be their son,' he snorted, 'Like I'm their son anyway. The day I'm their son is the day Voldemort comes in to the Great Hall singing love songs with a big bouquet of roses for Dumbledore, begs his forgiveness and asks McGonagall to marry him.'

Larkasia smiled slightly at him, 'I guess having a family that hates you is worse than having no family at all.'

Everyone looked at her questioningly. She looked at the table.

'My family were killed when I was five years old, we lived out in the forest and I was out playing with the w…dogs when they came and killed my parents and ransacked our house. I ran off into the forest and have roamed it every since, it's my home now. I was looked after by an old witch for a while before she died; she taught me about herbal medicines, that she thought were always more effective than the ones they use now. She said only the herbal medicines can heal cursed wounds, they haven't found any cures for them yet. I owed her my life so I kept a little contact with humans to honour her memory, and my parents. That's how I got my letter for Hogwarts.'

She was saved questioning when Dumbledore stood up and the talking died out.

'just a few more words now we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First-years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you that no magic is to be used between classes in the corridors.

'Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their houses should contact Mrs. Filler. And finally all that is left is to wish you a good night.'

The first years followed the Gryffindor prefects, a girl named Karen Pilter and a boy named Darren Shinel, to the Gryffindor tower. When they reached a portrait of a lady in a pink silk dress they stopped.

'Why've we stopped?' Rose whispered to Emma, she shrugged.

'Password?' the lady asked, Rose gaped open mouthed. Diana nudged her and she regained her composure.

'Dragon tail' Karen said clearly and the portrait swung open to reveal the Gryffindor common room.

'Welcome to the Gryffindor common room, you can do your homework…' Karen started.

'If you can be bothered' Darren said, some of the students sniggered. Karen rolled her eyes.

'Or just hang around in here. The boys dormitories are up the stairs to the left, girls to the right. You'll find all your belongings have already been brought up.' 'Oh and boys? Don't try and get up the girls staircase it turns into a slide if you do. Godric Gryffindor seemed to think boys were less trustworthy than girls when he built the staircase' Darren told them, 'And believe me it hurts when you land on this floor.'

'You've tried to get up there?' Karen asked.

'Of course, which boys haven't?' he shot her a grin.

'I can think of a few' Karen answered and she rolled her eyes, 'Come on girls follow me.'

They boys went up the stairs to their dormitories and saw a door with a sign on it saying: 'First years' there was a similar one across the hall. James, Sirius, and Remus were followed into their dormitory by the small boy with watery eyes and a pointed nose, his name was Peter Pettigrew. A boy with vivid red hair named Arthur Weasley, and a tall, black boy named Kingsley Shacklebot. Remus left for about an hour after they had unpacked to speak to Dumbledore.

'My Mum's ill so we've got to arrange when I can go and see her,' he told them, feeling guilty about lying, he went to Dumbledore who explained how they were to smuggle him out of the grounds every full moon. When he returned the six boys stayed up most of the night talking and laughing, it was about 3am before they went to sleep. The last thing that Remus saw before falling asleep was the quarter moon, glowing softly in the sky. Lily, Emma, Diana, Rose, and Larkasia were joined by two other girls; one had curly red hair and was called Molly Senthorn; Alice Demma had a kind round face and they talked for so long it was around 1am before they all fell asleep, eagerly anticipating the lessons for the day.

_A/N: It's done! Finally… that took a long time to write. Next chapter isn't as long and I've finished my coursework now so I should be able to update faster. I'll try and get the first chapter of my other story done so I can put that up. Again I'd like to thank my first two reviewers' 'maddgolfer01' and 'Marauder Stalker'._

_**Maddgolfer01**: thanks for reviewing, hope you enjoy this chapter too. Please put a story up because I want to see how you write your fan fics. _

_**Marauder Stalker: **All will be revealed in time Katie, all will be revealed. I know I asked you this before, but really do you ever do your work in classes? Your question will be answered in Chapter 4 (which will be up soon I promise). Keep up your writing! _

_And back to everyone after my personal thanks to my reviewers. PLEASE REVIEW! I'll update faster if you review more! Chapter 3- Notes, will be up soon as will Chapter 4. Please excuse the fact that Larkasia's surname is the same as my penname, I couldn't think of any other one to give her because I'm lazy, lol. Anyway I'll love you and leave you all. Ciao for now.  
xStarswordx _


	4. Notes and Names

**Chapter 3- Notes and Names**

The lessons started the next day, a Thursday, and by the end of the third week most students were either grumbling and struggling, or taking it in their stride. Lily, James, Remus, Sirius, and Kasia were the top in every class except potions; Snape was better than all them, except maybe Kasia and Lily, in potions. James, Sirius, and Remus had become close friends and Peter literally hero-worshipped them, they were seldom seen with one of the other three and soon got a reputation as trouble makers and became popular among the girls, especially James and Sirius who usually encouraged them. It was during a Transfiguration lesson that they got their group name. Sirius had just 'accidentally' sent his spell to transfigure his pin cushion into a hedgehog at his cousin Narcissa (Slytherins and Gryffindors had Transfiguration together) and she how had spines poking out the back of her robes. McGonagall performed a spell to get rid of her spines and rounded on the four boys who were trying to keep straight faces.

'What… may I ask… was the meaning of that?' she said, mouth thin.

'I misaimed my spell Professor and it hit my poor cousin' Sirius said in as innocent a voice as he could manage. Remus coughed to cover his laugh and pretended to look in his bag for something as he shook with silent laughter.

'Five points from Gryffindor and a detention Mr Black' McGonagall said and turned away muttering to herself. 'Stupid boys acting like marauders all the time. _When_ will they grow up?'

'Marauders?' said Remus thoughtfully, 'has a slight ring to it doesn't it?'

'You know, it does doesn't it? Marauders? Hmmm… I could get used to being a marauder you know,' James said with a grin.

'I agree with you mate,' Sirius said, the four boys grinned at each other.

'I hereby proclaim in this Transfiguration lesson, where we are supposed to be doing our work,' Remus said; James, Sirius, and Peter rolled their eyes, Remus was always telling them to do their work, 'That James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin are hereby named: 'The Marauders''

'Yes!' James and Sirius high-fived each other.

'Mr. Black, Mr. Potter what _are _you doing?' McGonagall asked as she came over again.

'Nothing, Professor, nothing at all,' James answered. Sirius snorted but quickly looked down at the look on McGonagall's face.

One Friday Lily and Rose came down the dormitory stairs and met Kasia running up the other way, she dragged them back into the dorm and shut the door, leaning against it.

'What in hell's name are you doing?' Rose asked, Kasia gave her one of her famous evil stares.

'Ok, a) never talk of hell so lightly,' she replied, she was very touchy about hell though she wouldn't tell them why, 'And b) you don't wanna be near The Marauders at the moment.'

'Why not?' Lily asked.

'Let's just say you wouldn't like it' Kasia answered evasively.

'Kas…' Lily said dangerously, Larkasia sighed.

'Their fan club found them' she replied, it was common knowledge in the dorm that Lily, Rose, Diana, Emma, and Kasia weren't great lovers of The Marauders fan club. Probably because the fan club hated the girls because they were continuously trying to hex them in the halls; luckily when you have Larkasia as a friend the people who try and send you to the hospital wing with an extra arm or leg, usually end up in the hospital wing themselves with a large blob of acne for a face. The five girls were becoming as inseparable as The Marauders and Molly and Alice were starting to become firm allies too. The three girls walked out the dorm and down to the Great Hall. They didn't talk to the Marauders all through breakfast, mainly due to the fact that they were usually surrounded by a band of giggling girls fawning over them that they obviously wanted to get rid of. After breakfast the six of them headed down to the dungeons for their double potions with the Slytherins (things don't change much do they?) they soon started talking about the forthcoming lesson and Quidditch matches. After a few minutes the rest of the class started to arrive one or two at a time. In mid-sentence, however, a loud bang sounded behind her and Lily found herself face down on the floor with a slash across her left arm, she turned over onto her back and saw Snape with his wand pointed at her and an evil grin on his face. James' face was like thunder and his wand was out; but, before anyone else could act some else was stood between Lily and Snape; Lily was surprised lightening wasn't flying from her eyes because it certainly seemed to be sparking from her hair.

'You filthy, slimy, arrogant, git' Larkasia spat, her wand pointed at Snape. He grinned at her.

'What you gonna do Muggle-lover? Snarl at me?' he asked sarcastically. Larkasia's yellow eyes narrowed; James and Sirius looked at each other, shocked, Larkasia was known to bide by the rules.

'What did you say?' she asked.

'I said you gonna snarl at me' Snape answered with a grin, 'What's the matter not told anyone what you live with? Or are you scared they'll abandon you?'

Larkasia looked straight at him, 'What are talking about Snape?'

He grinned maliciously, his eyes narrowed slightly.

'In denial are we? Won't admit it? Even though they took you in?' Snape said quietly, everyone else was silent.

'Snape, what are you on about? I don't live with anything or anyone. I survive with them,' she said, Lily looked at The Marauders and saw they too looked puzzled, as did the other girls; in fact everyone looked puzzled.

'Playing with words now are we?' Snape said, no one noticed when the dungeon door opened and Professor Slughorn stood in the doorway watching them. Larkasia grinned at Snape.

'I was taught to play with words to make your opponent go down the wrong track. Obviously you use that trick too so it won't work on you. Ah well… doesn't work on everyone,' Larkasia said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Lily had stood up by now and was standing with the other girls, they were all watching the fight between Larkasia and Snape closely.

'Unfortunatly for you no. I never understood why you could keep such savage animals as pets, Starsword' Snape said, his grin getting wider.

'SAVAGE? THEY AREN'T THE SAVAGE ONES SNAPE YOU ARE! YOU AND THAT EXCUSE OF A WIZARD VOLDEMORT!' Larkasia shrieked, 'IT'S BECAUSE OF VOLDEMORT I STAY WITH THEM!'

Snape's grin almost covered his face; most people had flinched at the name Voldemort.

'So your ignorant of the fact that no one calls him by his name because you live in the forest with a pack of wolves, and you say he killed your family and ransacked your house?' several people looked at Larkasia, she stood rigid her face unreadable, 'You ride on Mustangs and become a shape changer because you lived with that batty old witch and you hate the Dark Lord? I'm sure most people who had those circumstances would thank him for it.'

'Voldemort killed my parents and destroyed my home. He made me an outcast. He murdered my family and he murdered the person I was. He's nothing more than a murderer,' Larkasia said quietly, she pushed pass Snape and ran up the passageway. Sirius was shooting daggers at Snape who flashed him an evil smile.

'Ten points from Slytherin, Mr Snape' Professor Slughorn said from the doorway, 'For disregard of others and their feelings. Class come in.' he stopped Sirius as he was about to walk through the door and said quietly to him, 'If I were you, Mr Black, I'd try the lake. Go on, you're dismissed from this lesson Miss Starsword can return, I daresay you'll be needed elsewhere.'

Sirius smiled thankfully at Slughorn and took off in the opposite direction as the rest of the class filed in. Lily, Emma, Diana, and rose sat at the back and passed a piece of parchment around as Slughorn started to lecture the class about certain potion ingredients.

_(Just a quick note on the notes that are passed, when it's the girls passing notes L is Lily, K is Larkasia, D is Diana, E is Emma, and R is Rose. If Molly and Alice join in I'll tell you their initials. If The Marauders are writing notes J is James, R is Remus, S is Sirius, and P is Peter. Just so you're all clear on that and I don't get people complaining because they didn't understand who the messages were from… anyway)_

_**L:** What was all that about?_

_**E: **I dunno but I am gonna kill Snape when I next get the chance._

_**D: **You and me both. I think Sirius is likely to kill him before us though. Did you see his face when Kas ran off? I thought Snape would drop down dead._

_**L: **If looks could kill he'd be up against a firing squad._

_**E: **What's a firing squad?_

_**R: **It's where Muggles line up with a load of guns and fire at people to kill them. A gun is a metal stick like thing Muggles kill each other with. In short think of it as a load of wizards in a line firing the killing curse at someone._

_**E: **Ok…_

_**D: **Lily you aren't taking notes! Are you feeling ok?_

_**L: **Very funny Di, I think Kas is a bit more important than taking notes in a lesson when he's telling us a load of stuff we already know._

_**R: **It's official she's insane._

_**E: **Either that or she's too occupied looking at James evil grin_

_**L: **What are you implying?_

_**E: **Nothing Lily… nothing at all. Just pointing out the inevitable._

_**L:** Which is?_

_**D: **Oh come on Lils, you know you are James are destined to get married._

_**L: **Diana Anne Clemment I've never heard such rubbish in all my life! _

_**R: **Ooo… she's in denial. How sad._

_**L: **I AM NOT GOING TO MARRY JAMES! UNDERSTAND?_

_**D: **Yes dear, of course we do._

_**L: **I'm gonna kill you!_

_**D: **Lily putting a silencing charm on me doesn't stop me from writing. And how can you do a silencing charm anyway? They're like… fourth year standard._

_**E:** Remember Di, she reads. A lot._

_**D: **Lily take this charm off me this instant!_

_**L: **Not until you take it back._

_**E: **Err… Lily? You're running on borrowed time now. I'd take it off before she kills you._

_**R:** Too late. Oh nice lunge by Di._

_**E:** Here comes Slughorn… Oops… I think that last spell of Di's hit him._

_**R:** No? You think? I mean why else would he be coughing bubbles?_

_**E: **Ooo… they gotta see Filch. Lily doesn't look too happy._

_**R:** What do you think'll happen?_

_**E:** Oh the usual… detention._

_**R:** So now it's just us? Hey where'd Sirius go?_

Sirius walked across the grounds, he hoped a teacher wasn't looking out of the window. He saw a lone figure by the lake; a lone figure with reddy-brown hair and five red streaks. He stood behind her for a minute and then sat down beside her.

'What do you want?' she asked, her voice breaking slightly. Sirius saw tears falling down her face; he'd never seen her cry before, he hadn't even _heard_ of her having cried before.

'You ok?' he asked, 'Ok dumb question I know…'

She smiled a little, 'I'm fine'

'Ok that answer's as dumb as the question.'

Larkasia laughed and looked at him.

'What are you doing out here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be in Potions? Are _we_ supposed to be in Potions?'

'Slughorn sent me after you. For once he did something smart. Why did you let Snivellus get to you?'

Kas looked away. 'I never told you… my parents were murdered by Voldemort himself. When I said I was playing with the dogs I lied, we didn't have any dogs. We took in some wolf pups a year before my parents died. I'd found them at their old pack den, farmers had killed the pack because they thought they had killed some sheep from the herd, the pups had escaped. I took them home and we raised them, when they were about 2 months old my Dad spilt some potion he had been making all over the floor, as he went to get his wand the pups drank some of it and they… well they got kinda weird powers. We can kinda understand each other but I only live with them during the holidays, when I go back to the forest. When my parents were killed I ran with the wolves into the forest and we went to the old den, but they couldn't hunt and neither could I. I went to the old witch I knew lived on the other side of the forest and she helped me, she taught me the old medicines and how to hunt. Then she gave the greatest gift I could ever have hoped for, she taught me how to become a special type of Animagus; a shapeshifter. She taught me how to turn into any animal I wanted as long as I could picture it clearly and imagine being like it. When she died I used to take trips into the village to get our post but I still lived in the forest,' she smiled slightly, 'I earned the trust of all the creatures, I was even able to ride the wild horses. I took one in after its mother died during the birth; she stays with the herd during the school time. Why am I even saying all this? Why am I sitting here telling you my life story? Why am I even sitting here crying?' she stood up and threw a stone into the lake, Sirius watched her.

'Why am I even at Hogwarts? I've had next to no human contact for five years! Why am I here? What's the point?'

Sirius stood up and grabbed her arms.

'You chose to come here. You chose to have human contact and now you have friends who care about you. You told me all that because I asked you why Snape got to you so badly and now I know. He gets to you because he tries and somehow he knows about you and your past,' he said, answering almost every question she had blurted out in frustration, 'Don't let him get to you Kas, don't let him win.'

Tears filled her yellow eyes again and she started to cry again. Sirius drew her into a hug and waited until her crying stopped.

'Come on, let's get back to Potions. You don't want to miss out on one of Slughorn's famous potion lectures do you?' Sirius said with a grin picking up his bag. Kas smiled.

'Oh no, we've missed part of the lecture. My life has no meaning!' Sirius laughed and they started up to the castle and the dungeons. They were walking down the passageway as Diana and lily were walking up.

'Do we want to know?' Kas asked them, Lily and Diana looked at each other and started laughing.

'Err… read the note Emma and Rose have. It'll all be clear' Lily said, 'oh and Sirius what's Filch likely to threaten us with for making things explode all over the dungeons and making Slughorn cough bubbles?'

'YOU WHAT?' Kas asked, she and Sirius burst out laughing.

'Oh he'll threaten you with the usual. Detention, disembowelment, hanging you from the dungeons by your toes. Nothing to worry about… all he can give you is detention.'

Lily and Diana looked at each other and then went to Filch's office. Larkasia and Sirius went into the dungeon; luckily they weren't noticed as the class was still in uproar after the fight. Kasia sat next to Rose and Sirius went over to the Marauders. Rose showed her the paper and Kas had to try not to laugh at some points. Just then Lily and Diana came back in, just as the bell for the second lesson started.

'Anyway… as I was saying the unicorn tail hair is more commonly used in…'

_**L: **What happened Kas? Why'd you run off?_

_**D: **More importantly why did you come back with Sirius? Is there something happening with you two?_

_**K: **Sorry to disappoint you Di but no there isn't. I'll tell you guys later why I ran off._

_**D: **Hey Lils, James is looking at you._

_**L: **So?_

_**D: **He fancies you Lils!_

_**R: **Not again!_

_**L:** Yeah right and pigs can fly!_

_**R: **Err…is that a pig?_

_**L: **Rose! For god's sake!_

_**R: **No I'm serious a pig is really flying!_

_**K:** So he does fancy you Lils! The pigs have declared it._

_**E: **Oh that's hopeful. Lol_

_**L: **What? Yeah… ok… whatever…_

_**E: **Lily and James, sitting in a tree._

_**L: **Em!_

_**K: **Are you blushing Lily?_

_**D: **Course she is._

_**E:** K-I-S-S-I-N-G_

_**L: **SHUT UP! HE DOES NOT FANCY ME! I REPEAT HE DOES NOT FANCY ME!_

_**R: **grin Course he doesn't Lily… course he doesn't…_

_**K: **And of course you fancy him, don't you Lils?_

_**L:** I do not!_

_**K:** Oh look… the bell just went perfect timing._

_**E: **First comes love, then comes MARRIAGE_

_**L: **Emma Josephine Clemment if you want to keep your head as it is I suggest you shut up._

_**K: **Ooo… full name approach… nasty_

_**R: **Lily?_

_**L:** What?_

_**K: **Why are we still writing? Shouldn't we be going to History of Magic?_

_**L: **This shall continue VERY soon._


	5. Not The Person I Knew

_A/N: Ok I only have two new dedications to make: the first is to (only)-Wing- my third reviewer and good friend and also to Katie who has reviewed twice and is also another good friend. I also have to say that Larkasia's past is going to be relevant nearer the end of the story so please don't kill me if you didn't like it. I'm sorry I can't please everyone. Well on with the story, personal thank yous to my reviewers at the end._

**Chapter 4- Not the person I knew**

'You going home for Christmas Lily?' Rose asked as they ate breakfast a few weeks later.

'Yeah, I would go to Aunt Lyn's but she's busy so I'm going home,' Lily answered.

'Why don't you stay here?' Diana suggested, they all knew Lily and Petunia didn't get along anymore.

'Because I'll be the only first year here. Sirius is going home with James.' Lily answered, 'Come on lets get our stuff.'

'Aren't you staying Kas?' Emma asked the tall girl.

'No, I've got to go back to the forest. Don't ask' she said with a grin. Since the Snape episode the five girls had become even closer than the Marauders (which was saying something).They arrived at the platform ten minutes later and boarded the train. They found an empty compartment near the back and stored their trunks before sitting down.

'Anyone up for a game of Exploding Snap?' Kasia asked, taking out her pack of cards.

'If you insist,' said a voice at the door. They five girls turned to see Sirius, James, Remus and Peter standing in the doorway; Sirius and James were grinning.

'Did I direct the question at you?' Kas asked with raised eyebrows. Sirius winked at her and put his trunk with the others then sat next to her and draped his arm over her.

'You know you meant me really Kas' he said, she sighed and rolled her eyes. When all the Marauders were seated they started a game of Exploding Snap that lasted through the journey and resulted with a few singed eyebrows, Peter even had one of his burned off completely until Kas flicked her wand and it grew back. When they pulled into the station they were all looking forwards to going home, except lily; she wished she could jump back on the train and go back to Hogwarts, but she couldn't. Before they went through the barrier James took her aside.

'You know you can Floo over whenever you want, I overheard your Aunt Lyn telling my parents your house has been connected to the Floo network,' he told her, she smiled thankfully and they walked through together. Once on the other side she saw her parents waiting for her, without Petunia. Her smile faded slightly and she up to them, giving them each a big hug.

'Come on Lily,' her father said, 'Let's get to the car, Petunia's waiting for us there.'

The drive home was much like the Christmas holidays, Petunia ignored her except to shoot her death glares and call her a freak. When lily was finally back on the Hogwarts express again she couldn't have been happier; Kas, Emma, Diana and Rose joined her soon and the Marauders visited briefly as they tried to find an empty compartment. It was halfway through the journey that Lily wished she had stayed at home. Diana and Rose were in the middle of a game of chess and the others were talking about their Christmas when a loud bang echoed from the corridor, Lily and Kasia opened the door to investigate. Snape and Bellatrix were lying on the floor with a few tears in their robes and ropes around their ankles, Lily looked up and saw James and Sirius with identical evil grins on their faces.

'Hey lily, Hey Kas' Sirius said cheerfully.

'What the hell are you doing?' Kasia asked.

'Just saying hello to some good friends' James grinned.

'Who the hell do you think you are?' Lily, voice rising dangerously, said.

'Err… well last time I checked I was James and this was Sirius' James said, Sirius snorted and even Kas had to shake her head while trying to hide a smile. _Typical, _she thought. Lily couldn't believe it was James standing there, he hadn't acted like this before, why had he changed?

'No you're not,' she said quietly, James raised an eyebrow at her, 'At least you're not the James I knew.'

'Hate to break it to you Lils, but it's me.'

Lily shook her head; she was surprised to find herself trying to hold back tears.

'Then you obviously weren't the person I thought you were Potter,' the way she called him by his last name stung James, 'Because the James I knew wasn't a bullying git.'

Lily turned and almost ran back into the compartment; Kasia looked at James and Sirius with an unreadable look on her face, then followed her into the compartment, closing the door behind her. James gave the door a last sad, hurt, and angry look before turning and walking back into his compartment, Sirius following silently behind him. Once in the compartment he flung himself onto a seat and picked up a chocolate frog, biting its head off in one bite. Sirius sat silently down by the window and stared at the countryside.

'Err… did something bad happen?' Remus asked, he looked at Peter who just shrugged and continued eating his box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans.

'Evans' James replied,

'Ok why are you now calling Lily by her last name?' Remus asked again, looking from James to Sirius.

'She called him a bullying git when she saw us standing inn front of Snape and Bellatrix after we'd just jinxed them. James gave her a snarky reply and she got ticked off and then walked back into the compartment with Kas…' Sirius trailed off.

'Ah' Remus replied, 'If you don't mind me asking, why are you so down Sirius? As far as you've said Lily didn't really have a go at you.'

Sirius put his face in his hands. James looked at him with raised eyebrows.

'Kas' face when she looked at me…' he replied. Remus, James and Peter looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

'Err… Sirius? Care to explain? You don't… you don't fancy her do you?' James said. Sirius just looked back out of the window.

'Do you?' James asked again. Sirius nodded. The compartment went quiet for a while then Sirius stood up.

'I'm going for a walk' he said and walked out of the compartment, James made to follow him but Remus forced him back down. He shrugged and the three boys sat in quiet for the rest of the journey.

In the girls' compartment Lily had been ranting for the past ten minutes, finally Kas had had enough.

'Lily! Please, of the love of god, shut up!' she yelled as Lily took a breath. The compartment went silent, everyone looking at Kas.

'Kas, are you ok?' Lily asked.

'No, Lily, I'm not. Happy?' she yelled, she stared straight out of the window. The others looked at each other and then back at Kas.

'What's wrong?' Emma asked quietly. Larkasia looked down at her hands.

'I went to the pack during the holiday's right? Well I went because they were expecting puppies-'

'That's great news!' Diana said.

'They had about three pups each, that's about fifteen in total' Kasia continued, 'Five survived. One of each of their litters survived.'

The others looked at each other and then looked away. Rose sat closer to Larkasia and put her arm around her.

'It'll be ok Kas' she said, 'The ones that are still left will be alright, I'm sure they will.'

Kasia nodded and stood up; she walked out of the compartment and down the train, hoping to find an empty carriage to sit in so she could be alone. Unfortunatly she ran into Snape and Bellatrix. They blocked the passageway and she stopped.

'Can I come through?' she asked quietly, looking down.

'I think not' Snape said, Kasia took a deep breath and faced him.

'Move' she said in the same quiet voice. She just wanted to be away from everyone, she felt like she was being choked by the train. She needed to get into the fresh air.

'I think you might want to come with us' Bellatrix said.

'I don't think I do' Kas replied, facing the girl beside Snape. Bellatrix smiled nastily at her and took out her wand, beside her Snape did the same.

'Come on Starsword, you better come quietly. We don't really want to have to force you to come now do we?' Snape said quietly. Kasia suddenly felt a little twinge of fear. Why did they want her to follow them?

'I don't think you're going to force her anywhere' a voice said from behind Kas. She turned around and saw Sirius leaning against the wall, wand pointed at the two of them.

'What's it to you Black?' Snape sneered. Bellatrix grinned at Sirius.

'What's wrong cousin? Gone soft have we? Or is it just your soft spot for Starsword?' she sneered. Sirius glared at her and walked closer.

'Are you really prepared to repeat that…? _Bella'_ Sirius asked her. Her eyes narrowed and she shot a spell at Sirius who quickly deflected it and sent another one at her that sent her flying off her feet.

'Get out of here' he spat at them, Snape and Bellatrix shot him a nasty looks before slipping into a compartment further down the hall. Sirius took Kasia's hand and took down the other end of the train.

'Sirius let go!' she said, wrenching her hand from his grip as he took her into an empty compartment. He faced her; she missed the hurt look in his eyes as she glared at him.

'Why have you brought me down here?' she asked her voice a little softer.

'I thought you'd want to get away from them' he muttered as he sat down by the window. She looked at him questioningly, he sighed.

'What was up with them anyway? Why'd they want you to go with them?' he asked her. She sat down opposite him.

'I don't know. I just wanted to find an empty compartment to think in and they just started to block my way and tell me to go with them' she muttered, looking at the fields. A prefect opened the door and told them they would be at Hogwarts in five minutes.

'I better get back to the others' she said, standing up, 'I've got to get changed anyway.'

She stood up and left, Sirius watched her go and then stood up and went back to the rest of the Marauders.

_A/N: Ok that's the end of this chapter, shorter than the others but oh well. Now for personal answering of reviews and such like._

_**Katie**: Does this chapter answer your question? Lol, I hope it does. Now you're going to ask me something else aren't you? Well if you're going to ask me whether Kas and Sirius go out you're going to have to wait. I love making you wait it's so much fun, lol. Till next time!_

_Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, please review I do like reviews because I like to reply to them. Call me sad but hey I enjoy it! Till next time people!_

_Starsword_


	6. Blood Loss and Suspicions

_A/N: Thanks again to my reviewers! Please keep reviewing it does keep me happy and when I'm happy I write, and when I write you can read, and then you can review, and it's an endless cycle… Anyway on with the story…_

**Chapter 5- Blood loss and suspicions**

'I'm bored' Sirius said as the Marauders sat in the common room that night.

'We've haven't' pranked anyone since before the holidays!' Sirius said again, sounding shocked.

'That would be because we went on holiday, Sirius' Remus said sighing; he grinned at his friend.

'Ok, fine. Let's prank the Slytherins' Sirius said. James rolled his eyes, but grinned anyway.

'I agree, we need to welcome the Slytherins back to Hogwarts. Marauders fall in for a meeting' he said and the four boys put their heads together to think of a few pranks they could pull in the next few days.

Across the common room a pair of eyes were giving them suspicious looks; a pair of emerald green, almond-shaped eyes. Lily Evans watched the Marauders closely as they talked in hushed voices and laughed every so often. This could only mean one thing; a prank was going to occur. The question was, when? She sighed and looked back at the others, they were grinning at her.

'What?' she asked.

'Nothing, Lils. Nothing at all' Emma said as she went back to her charms essay. Lily glared at her and went back to finishing her essay for Herbology about the proper way to repot a Mandrake. Unfortunatly, because she kept giving the Marauders suspicious looks and tried to work out what they were saying she took a long time doing her homework; Emma, Diana, and Rose had gone up to bed and still she was on her Herbology essay. Kasia had stayed with her, she sighed.

'Look, Lily. If it's bothering you that much I'll go over and find out what they're gonna do and you can get that bloody essay finished,' Kasia said, she hated seeing her friend do this, it was starting to get irritating.

'Kas, if they tell you what pranks they're gonna pull then I'm doing James' Charms homework for him for two whole weeks. In short, it's never going to happen,' Lily sighed and looked back at her parchment. Kasia grinned.

'Ok Lily, I'll make you a deal. I'll find out who, when, and where the Marauders are pranking and you do James' Charms homework for a two whole weeks' Kasia said, holding out her hand. Lily shook her hand and shook it.

'Deal'

Kasia stood up and walked over to the Marauders, Lily watched her and suddenly realised she could very well lose this bet. She sighed and looked back at her parchment and continued to try and finish her essay. It was about half ten and the common room was empty except for her, Kasia and the Marauders. Kasia walked over and jumped over the back of the sofa and landed next to Sirius, she leaned back and grinned at them.

'What?' she asked.

'Err… Kas; no offence, but what the hell are you doing?' James asked, Kasia winked and looked at the ceiling, her hands behind her head.

'Let's just say I'm doing this so you don't have to do Charms homework for two whole weeks, I get to prove Lily wrong, and I'm intrigued myself' she said in one breath.

'Didn't catch a word of that' Remus said. Kasia laughed.

'In short, I'm being nosy and seeing if you want any help with the pranks because I'm bored sitting next to Lily while she does her homework.'

The Marauders raised their eyebrows. Kasia sighed.

'Ok, fine I'll just go back to Lily and tell her that you guys are gonna prank the Slytherins at breakfast on Wednesday' she said, standing up. Sirius yanked her back down.

'I wouldn't if I were you' he said, grinning.

'Why not?' she asked.

'Because you guessed right' Remus said, with a grin; he winced as his robes caught his cut from the previous full moon. Kasia looked quizzingly at him; he shook his head and looked down at the paper on the table. Kasia grinned and snatched it off the table.

'What's this?' she asked innocently, when Sirius made a dive for it she jumped up and ran around the other side of the sofa. She grinned evilly as the four Marauders stood up and tried to snatch it from her.

'Come on Kas' Sirius said warningly. She gave him an innocent look and back away; her back hit a brick wall.

'Oops…' she said, the Marauders dived at the same time and she managed to dodge them and ran over to Lily, she pretended to put the parchment in her cloak pocket but actually gave it to Lily, who hid it as Kas ran up the stairs laughing. Unfortunatly the Marauders tried to follow her up the stairs; it turned into a slide and the five of them ended up in a heap on the floor. Kasia landed on the ground first, Sirius fell onto her, Remus landed backwards onto Sirius, James landed face first on the floor and Peter fell backwards onto all of them.

'Lily I win. I found out when, where and who. Now you gotta do James' Charms work' Kasia said from under the bodies. Lily groaned and started whacking her head on the table.

'Why me?' she moaned.

'What was that about my Charms work?' James asked as he pushed Peter off him.

'I made a bet with Lily I could find out when, where and who you guys were pranking and if I did then she had to do you're Charms homework for two whole weeks' Kasia explained as James helped Remus to his feet. James grinned.

'Cool, no more Charms homework for two weeks' James said.

'Oh yes there is' Lily said, 'I'll do the work but you copy it out. You can't hand in a piece of work with my writing.'

'True' James said and flashed a grin. She rolled her eyes and muttered something about him being a big headed prat. Kasia snorted and took the hand Sirius offered her; once everyone was standing the Marauders went back to their table and Lily managed to finished her essay.

'Why did I agree to this again?' she asked Kas.

'Because I got the time, date, place and victims of the pranks. So come on tell me what their planning.'

'It just said something about 'Prank Galore' at the top and had a load of times and places on it' Lily answered, Kasia gave her a piece of parchment.

'Write them down then, I wanna see them' she gave Lily a grin, Lily shook her head but obliged.

'Let's go for a night time wander' Sirius said when the two girls had gone to bed. James perked up like a dog whose scented a rabbit.

'Let's go' he said, standing up. Sirius stood up with him; Peter, not wanting to be left out, stood up too. Remus sighed and nodded, tucking the parchment safely in his pocket and then standing up and following the others out of the portrait hole. They walked around for about an hour before they ran into any trouble. They rounded a corner and found Peeves floating in mid air untying a chandelier so that it would fall down during the next day.

'Ohh… ickle firsties out of bed. Should call Filch I should' he cackled in his sing-song voice. The Marauders froze.

'Ohh… and it's the Marauders as well' he cackled. Suddenly James had an idea.

'Hey Peeves, how'd you like to help us prank the Slytherins on Wednesday?' James said. The others looked at him like he was mad. Peeves looked at James as if Christmas had come early.

'What you ickle firsties gonna do?' he asked, sing-song voice fading slightly. Remus caught on to the idea. They could pull more than one pranks at once if Peeves helped them.

'Well Peeves, we've got a few pranks lined up for Wednesday but we might not be able to pull them all. As you love to pull pranks yourself why don't you help us?' Remus said, winking at James to show he understood.

'Yeah. How about you meet us here on Tuesday night, midnight, and we'll tell you what pranks we're gonna do and where. Then we can decide which ones you can help us with' James said. Peeves seemed to consider.

'In return for this I guess you don't want me to turn you in' Peeves said, thoughtfully for once. Sirius nodded, Peter looked at them in awe. Peeves grinned.

'FIRSTIES OUT OF BED BY THE ASTRONOMY TOWER!' he yelled. The Marauders sighed; they were on the other side of the castle to the Astronomy Tower.

'Thanks Peeves' Sirius said and the Marauders took off in the opposite direction, 'See you midnight on Tuesday!'

'James you are brilliant!' Remus said once they were a few corridors away. James shrugged and grinned.

'Remus, for the sake of all things holy, don't boost his ego. Please' Sirius said. Remus grinned and James gave him a playful shove. Just then Peeves appeared again, an evil grin on his face.

'Peeves?' James said, a bit worried.

'Filch is coming this way he is' Peeves said, 'Better get to the kitchens. Filch don't go to the kitchens he don't.'

'Where are they Peeves?' Remus asked, they could hear Filch puffing down the corridor towards them.

'Go down by the dungeons to the portrait of the fruit bowl' Peeves said in a whisper, 'Tickle the pear.'

'Peeves, one question. Why are you helping us?' Sirius asked. Peeves grinned.

'You're the pranksters of Hogwarts. Be boring without you lot. Too much work for old Peevesie to do by himself.'

With that he vanished.

'Wow, never knew we were loved that much' said Sirius, brushing away a fake tear. James grabbed him and they ran down by the dungeons, following Peeves' instructions.

'We are _so _lucky Peeves likes us' Peter said as they arrived at the fruit bowl.

'You got that right Peter' Remus said, they climbed in through a hole behind the portrait and were suddenly bombarded by questions from a lot of house elves.

'What can we get young sirs?' one squeaked at Peter's elbow. James and Sirius looked as if they had been given ten years worth of Christmas presents at once.

'Can I have some ice cream, a cup of hot chocolate, some chocolate éclairs, and so-' James clamped a hand over Sirius' mouth to stop him saying anything else.

'That'll do for him' he said grinning as Sirius struggled, 'I'll just have some hot chocolate and biscuits please.'

Peter and Remus placed orders and they sat at one of the four tables.

'So this is how the food gets up there' James said drinking some of his hot chocolate.

'You know what we need,' Sirius said, 'We need a room we can go to where we wont be caught and we can plan our pranks.'

James, Remus and Peter nodded. A house elf walking by suddenly stopped and faced them.

'Please sirs, I couldn't help but overhear and there is such a place' she squeaked. The four Marauders looked at her. 'It's called the Room of Requirement. It's on the seventh floor sirs.'

'How do we get to it? Where on the second floor? Why's it called the Room of Requirement?' Sirius asked.

'Let the elf breath Sirius' Remus said. The elf beamed.

'It is a room that a person can only enter,' the elf said seriously, 'when they have real need of it. Sometimes it is there, and sometimes it is not, but when it appears, it is always equipped for the seeker's needs. Mr Filch has found extra cleaning materials there sirs, and other people have stumbled across it at need. Not very many people know of it sirs, mostly only the house elves sirs. There is stretch of blank wall on the seventh floor opposite an enormous tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy's foolish attempts to train trolls for the ballet. Walk back and forth in front of the bit of wall three times thinking clearly of what you need.'

'You're my hero!' Sirius said. The elf beamed and walked off to continue its work.

'Let's check it out tomorrow, we better be getting back now' Remus said. James and Sirius groaned; Remus rolled his eyes and the four boys went back to Gryffindor Tower with a last good bye to the elves.

The next day Sirius and James spent the lessons passing notes to each other and discussing the pranks in hushed voices; Remus continued to take notes so they wouldn't fall behind, and Peter, well he continued being Peter and did whatever James and Sirius did. The end of the day appeared and James and Sirius almost ran out of the classroom door to dinner and started to eat their food so fast it was a wonder they didn't throw up.

'What's the rush?' Diana asked, sitting next to James, Lily made a point to sit as far away from him as possible.

'Places to go, things to do, people to see' James said quickly. Kas raised an eyebrow.

'So making yourself throw up is part of it is it?' she asked. James waved his hand impatiently and he and Sirius stood up and left the table; Peter followed them, though in truth he was still quite hungry; Remus sighed and stood up to, grimacing as he caught his healing wound against the table. He followed the others out of the doors and into the Entrance Hall, once there the four boys proceeded up the staircases to the seventh floor. Remus could feel blood seeping from his wound and cursed silently, he could feel his legs getting weak and he started to fall behind the others. He kept walking, not wanting to give into the blood loss, his vision started to tunnel. Remus looked towards the boys who had turned round to look for him and his vision went completely black. Sirius saw him fall and ran back to his friend's side, James on his heel.

'Peter, go get Mrs Kwelan' James yelled, Peter obliged and set off through the corridors. After a few minutes the two boys heard hurried footsteps and looked up, hoping to see the nurse; instead five girls were running towards them.

'What the hell happened? We saw Peter running to the hospital wing and asked him what was wrong, he said Remus had collapsed,' Diana said, breathing heavily.

'Oh my god' Lily gasped and pointed to the pool of blood that was forming under his arm and slowly seeping towards Sirius. Kas knelt down and pulled up the sleeve of Remus' robes, exposing the wound.

'How the hell did this happen?' she asked, everyone else looked as shocked as she did. She picked up the bottom of her robes and tore a piece off, she tied it tightly around the cut and put pressure on it; the others looked on in silence.

'Why didn't he tell us?' Sirius asked no one in particular, 'Why didn't he say something?'

'He's too damn independent' James said sadly, 'He wants to look after himself all the time. I don't think he realises that's our job.'

Sirius smiled weakly and watched as the blood flow started to slow; they heard hurried footsteps and looked up to see the school nurse running towards them with Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Peter trailing behind.

'We'll take him from here' the nurse said and conjured a stretcher; she levitated Remus onto it and set off at a brisk walk. McGonagall followed her, but Dumbledore stayed where he was; Professor McGonagall turned and looked at him, expecting him to follow.

'Go on, Minerva' he said to McGonagall, 'I need to speak to these students.'

McGonagall nodded and set off after Mrs Kwelan and Remus again. Dumbledore turned to the students.

'Follow me please' he said softly, the eight students followed him along many corridors until they reached a stone gargoyle.

'Sugar Quill' Dumbledore said and the gargoyle sprung aside. He led them up a spiralling staircase and into his office.

'Please, sit down' he said indicating to the many chairs he had just conjured around one side of a table. A beautiful golden bird stood on a perch just inside the door, books lined almost every wall and tables full of small silver instruments stood round the office. It was, in Lily's eyes, the way a teacher's office should be. Once they were all seated Dumbledore surveyed them over his half-moon glasses.

'I must ask you not to tell anyone else what has happened here today with Mr Lupin. Not only would it draw, I dare say unwanted, attention to him but it would also trigger questions he may not want to answer. I also want to congratulate you all on the speed at which you aided him, not only alerting the teachers and school matron but also with trying to stop the blood flow at the wound. You will each receive ten house points', he said, smiling at them; they, however, maintained a stony silence.

'May I ask why you seem so upset? Mr Lupin will be fine.'

Sirius was the one to speak, 'It's just that he never told us he had these injuries or where he's got them from, sir. It just makes us feel a little useless not being able to help our friend when he obviously needs us.'

Dumbledore smiled and nodded knowingly. 'Mr Lupin will tell you in his own time I am sure. For now you must give him the support you have been so kind as to give him so far. Now, I am not permitted to say anything else on the subject and I suggest you either return to your dormitories or else pay a quick visit to Mr Lupin. He is probably awake by now and will probably want to see you. No doubt he is feeling bad about giving you all a scare and will probably be apologising before any of you can get a word in edge ways. It is always the case, I find, with friends that they always blame themselves for what has happened when it was not their fault; or else they blame their friends when it was really their fault.'

The eight young people stood up ready to leave, just as they were about to walk out of the door Dumbledore said something that made them all stop for a second or two.

'It is a funny thing, love.' Dumbledore said, 'It comes in many shapes, sizes, and forms. Though never the same; it makes the whole world kneel in awe before it. Yet it can never be destroyed, such as light and darkness can never be destroyed. It comes in other forms other than that which people feel for a soul mate. Though it can never be destroyed it can be forgotten at times; until you realise how much you, and the person you love, need it. It is an odd thing, love.'

James expected the wise old man to say something else, but he never did. Sirius opened the door and the group walked down the staircase and along the corridors in silence. Finally they came to the hospital wing, though no words had been passed between them they had all made a silent agreement to visit Remus. The girls hung back as they opened the doors.

'Go on,' Diana said, 'He's your best friend, he'll want to speak to you lot first.'

James smiled and nodded and the three boys filed in; they spotted Remus being given a potion by the nurse ad walked over, concern lining their faces. When he saw them Remus smiled.

'Hey guys' he said; his voice was hoarse and he looked as white as snow, his eyes seemed dead and he was shivering.

'Rem, what the hell happened? Why didn't you tell us that you were hurt?' Sirius asked, Mrs Kwelan has gone into her office. Remus busied himself with pouring water as he answered so he didn't have to look his friends in the eye.

'I fell over when I was at home. I didn't want to bother you guys about it, I didn't think it was too bad,' he answered quickly. In truth his last full moon had been particularly hard on him; he didn't look at any of them while he drank the water. Sirius' eyes narrowed; usually Remus would look at least one of them in the eye when he was talking about something important; the only thing Sirius could think of as to why he wasn't doing that now was because he was lying, lying to his best friends. The girls came in five minutes later and the group talked for about half an hour before they had to go back to their dormitories.

Back in the boys' dormitory Sirius lay back in bed, the other boys hadn't come up yet; he spoke to James and Peter,

'I think Remus was lying' Sirius said, 'He wouldn't look us in the eye and when it's something like that he always does. I'm going to find out how he's getting those cuts.'

'How?' James asked, worried for both Sirius and Remus.

'I'll record the times he's away and try and find out more about his family and home, home life as well. I'll record it all in a diary and then I'll try and work out what's been happening to him,' Sirius said with an air of defiance. He took out the diary he had been given for Christmas and recorded the date Remus had returned (the previous night) and when he had left (some two days previous). James slept fitfully that night, he was worried about Remus and he was worried about what he would say when he found out what Sirius was up to. Little did Sirius even realise that the diary had said Remus had left on the night of a full moon; he did manage to remember when Remus had last left and returned though and now had two sets of dates. Slowly he was going to put the puzzle together.

_A/N: Sorry it's taken longer than usual to update, my only excuse is that school has started again. Thank you to all my reviewers, come on people I like reviews and if you can give me 15 reviews by the time I post the next chapter I will sit down and write a whole extra chapter especially for you! Now for the personal thank you's._

_**Marauder Stalker: **Thanks for reviewing yet again! Yes I am having fun writing even if my mates do continuously irritate me by nagging me to write (looks at Vicky). Well whilst you're convincing yourself you can wait I'll let you ask me another question. If it wont give away any major plot lines I'll answer in the next thank you if it will I'll email it to you. Lol. Hope you're ok and thanks again for reviewing. Please write more! Lol I know I'm a hypocrite but oh well._

_**Vicky: **Thanks for the review Vicky, I hope this has made you happier! Well you know it wouldn't have left me alone if I didn't have Sirius and Kas together at some point, it does work out interesting is all I will say. Kas will be kept human I promise; don't worry I will make sure she is human. I won't let that go wrong in this fic. Promise. If I do you can yell at me and make me rewrite the whole offending chapter and write a whole extra one as well. Hope this has satisfied the Remus thing, almost a whole chapter dedicated to him. Lol. Hope you're stories are coming on. Thanks for reviewing again!_

_Well thank you again to all my reviewers and to my readers who haven't reviewed yet. I will hopefully update sooner. Ciao for now!_

_xStarswordx_


	7. I Don't Care Anymore

_A/N: Hello, I felt like sitting down and writing another chapter because a) I have literally got this chapter and the next one all planned out; and b) I don't want people nagging me to update. This is going to be an interesting chapter and I'll probably have some people telling me this probably didn't happen. Just so you know it's important that James, Sirius and Peter do do this because I said so and it's a plot line. Anyway on with the chapter._

**Chapter 6- I Don't Care Anymore**

It had been four months since Remus had collapsed from blood loss and Sirius had started his campaign to find out how he was getting his injuries; May was just starting and the first years' work load had dropped slightly, though the lessons were still as hard. Sirius spent almost every minute when Remus was 'visiting his mum' to look in his diary and try and piece his information together. So far nothing was making sense.

'I've got it!' he said a little loudly one night while James helped Peter with his homework.

'What?' James asked, looking up from the parchment Peter was working on.

'Remus is away every twenty nine days' Sirius said, making a quick note in the diary. James and Peter still looked a bit confused.

'What does that prove?' Peter asked. Sirius shrugged and then paused for a moment; he thought back to the night Remus had collapsed and all this had begun, he remembered Remus finishing his Defence homework and flicking through the book. Flicking through to that page on werewolves.

'I wonder…' he mumbled, he ran upstairs to get his textbook and came down flicking through the pages until he found the page he was after.

'Sirius? What has Defence Against the Dark Arts got to do with Remus, except from the fact he's the best in he year at it?' James asked. Sirius ignored the question and read the paragraph under the picture of the man halfway through his transformation.

_The werewolf is found worldwide, though it is believed to have originated in northern Europe. Humans turn into werewolves only when bitten. There is no known cure for this affliction. Once a month, at the full moon (approximately every twenty nine days), the otherwise sane and normal wizard or Muggle afflicted transforms into a murderous beast. Almost uniquely among fantastic creatures, the werewolf actively seeks humans in preference to any other kind of prey; he would even attack his own friend if he got in the way of the beast. The werewolf only answers to the call of it's own kind and seldom to the call of a true wolf; unlike the true wolf a werewolf usually hunts alone and never in a pack. The difference between a normal wolf and a werewolf are few: the werewolf has a tufted tail, narrower pupils, a longer snout, a thicker coat, longer and sharper fangs, stronger jaws and paws. The werewolf also has a lower voice than that of the true wolf and howls when it has just transformed and when it has smelt prey. Similar to the wolf the werewolf will keep hunting it's prey until it is dead or it becomes too exhausted to follow the prey. _

Sirius stopped reading and stared at the page, disbelief running through his brain; was Remus a werewolf? Then a sudden thought struck him that would either spell hope or spell the end of everything Sirius had ever known about Remus; he picked up the diary and looked at the lunar cycle for that night, a full moon. In a panic he flicked through to the previous one, a full moon; Sirius was in a frenzy as he flicked through all the dates to try and find one date when Remus had been away that wasn't around the date of the full moon. He threw down the diary in frustration, disbelief, anger, and hatred. Why hadn't he told them? Why had he kept it a secret? Why couldn't he have trusted them? Why Remus? It wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair. Of all the people to be a murderous beast it was Remus.

'Sirius? What's wrong?' James asked, sounding worried. Sirius looked at him and then leapt up from the chair and out of the portrait hole. James and Peter looked at each other and then followed him; the three of them earning odd looks from everyone in the common room. They saw Sirius walking fast ahead of them.

'Sirius! Wait!' James yelled and ran after his friend. Sirius stopped and the two boys caught up.

'What's wrong?' Peter asked, breathing heavily.

'Remus is a werewolf' Sirius said simply, but hatred was in his voice, 'I checked the dates he was away, all of them a full moon. It makes sense. The injuries and scars on his arms, hands, probably on the rest of his body too. The way he looks ill the day before he goes and the day after he comes back. The way he looks shifty whenever nocturnal creatures are mentioned. The way he never looks us in the eye when he talks about where he goes. Everything adds up.'

James and Peter stood frozen to the spot; it did make sense. The only problem was they didn't want to believe it. Sirius had set off for the hospital wing and the other two followed, too shocked to speak. For once in his life James Potter was speechless. They entered the ward and saw a bed with the curtains pulled around it at the other end of the wing.

'What are you three boys doing here?' Mrs Kwelan asked them, James thought up a story quickly before Sirius said anything.

'We heard Remus had been brought in and we wanted to see him,' he said, his throat was dry. The nurse looked at them and nodded, pointing to the bed at the other end of the room. She left them and returned to her office; James, Sirius, and Peter went to the curtained bed.

'Remus?' James asked. Remus looked up, shocked.

'Wh-What are you doing here?' he stammered, his arm was bandaged and his forehead had a healing cut on it. Sirius was the first to speak.

'Why didn't you tell us?' he asked, a little too harshly in James' opinion.

'What do you mean?' Remus asked quietly, but Sirius could see the fear in his eyes.

'Why didn't you tell you were a werewolf?' James asked, an icy edge to his voice. Remus looked petrified and tears started to form in his eyes.

'I-I- I didn't think-' he stammered.

'You didn't think you could trust us? Or you didn't think we'd be able to handle it? Or you didn't think we were smart enough?' Sirius asked, voice rising.

'No. I just- I just didn't know- I was-' but Remus could hardly speak, he looked away.

'It's true then?' James asked coldly. Remus nodded. Sirius looked livid, James looked angry, and Peter looked scared. Sirius was the first to turn around and walk out of the curtains throwing them open and walking out of the hospital wing. Peter took one look at Sirius retreated back and followed. Remus watched them go, fear and sadness evident in his eyes. James gave him one last look of disappointment and anger before turning and following the other two.

'Wait! Don't-' but it was no use. Remus felt like he had just lost his friends. His only friends. At that moment he didn't care whether he lived or died; whether he passed his classes or failed them; all he wanted was a chance to explain to his friends, to apologise, to try and keep them. Instead he had to watch the only thing he felt was worth living for walk away from him and through the doors, forever. He threw his head into his pillow and cried. That was how the nurse found him a minute later, and that was when he started to refuse the potions she gave him. He didn't care. He wanted, more than anything at that moment, to die.

_A/N: Sorry it's really short but I wanted to finish it there. Were you expecting that? Well I would say thank you to my reviewers but no ones reviewed yet so I can't really. Well then I'll say thank you to my readers! And for the dedications (I know it should be at the top of the page but oh well) this chapter is dedicated to my reviewers, to Katie, to Vicky (because she won't stop nagging me to write), to the rest of the Rum Runners, and to the rest of my friends. Hope you enjoyed the chapter I will write the next one shortly._

_Ciao for now,_

_xStarswordx_


	8. Why?

_A/N: Hello again. I'd like to say thank you to my reviewers your great and I love you all #starts throwing out cookies for all reviewers# This is just a short chapter to show you all how each of the Marauders is feeling. Mainly Remus' thoughts and feelings. I hope you enjoy it, the story will continue in the next chapter._

**Chapter 7- Why?**

**Peter's POV**

Why didn't he tell us? Didn't he trust us? Well I've always been told werewolves aren't to be trusted, that they'll kill you as soon as they can; they hunt out humans for god's sake, how could I have ever have been friends with him? He could have killed me! All those times he helped me with my homework and things, he could have killed me. He's been sleeping in our dorm. Is he going to be sent away? Does Dumbledore know about him? I can't believe him, surely he must hate us. Well I know I hate him. I do. Don't I? Wouldn't be have tried to kill me though? No, I must hate him. I have to; I can't be friends with a monster. I can't. My parents would kill me; he would kill me.

**James' POV**

Why Remus? Why not someone else? Of all the people to be a werewolf why was it Remus? Why Remus whose always been so much fun to hang around with? Why Remus whose one of the Marauders. The Marauders. There's no Marauders any more because there is no Remus. No Remus. Why didn't he tell us? Why did he keep it secret? Well that's obvious I guess; he was scared we'd shun him away. Well we might not have done if he had told us. Why didn't he just bloody well tell us? Everything is screwed up, just because he didn't tell us; there's no more Marauders, no more pranks with the Marauders. Wait I'm overreacting. There is going to be pranks with the Marauders. There's going to be pranks with the Marauders that are true to the name. But he was wasn't he? He was and all because he didn't tell us that he was a werewolf we've now lost all the friendship we had with him. So why do I just want to walk back in there and tell him it's going to be ok and we'll sort it all out? God friendship is as bad as bloody love. Love. Dumbledore! He knew this was going to happen didn't he? He told us. Well sorry Dumbledore but he crossed the line when he didn't tell us. He should have told us, we might have been able to help. Help? Help a monster? Help a creature that would just want to kill us? All those times we played chess, all those times he helped Peter with his homework, all those pranks we pulled, all those late night wanderings gone. It's all gone. All because he didn't tell us. Why didn't he just bloody tell us? For god's sake we're his mates! Wait, correction. We were his mates. We _were_ his mates. Now he probably wants us dead. We left him. He'll hate us.

**Sirius' POV**

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Why was I so bloody curious? Why didn't I listen to my mother when she said curiosity killed the cat? Hang on I never listened to my mothers, that's why. Well in this case the cat's alive; it's just us lot that are suffering. Why didn't he tell us? Why did he keep it secret? God I can't believe I was stupid enough to actually consider a werewolf a friend. A werewolf for god's sake! They kill humans for pleasure. They kill needlessly. They are to be hated. That's what I've been told by everyone. For once Sirius Black is going to do what everyone else does and hate werewolves. Remus has proved they aren't to be trusted. Well sorry Remus but if you'd told us it wouldn't have come to this. If you'd told us we might still like you. If only you'd told us you're a monster. Remus Lupin you are a monster. Why didn't you tell us? Did you think we were stupid? Answer: yes. Well Remus I'm sorry to say it but goodbye. This is it mate. You should have told us. Now you've lost it all.

**Remus' POV**

Why didn't I tell them? Oh that's easy because this would have happened. Why can't they accept I'm still me? Why are they scared? I haven't killed them yet have I? I've been there with them cheering on the Quidditch teams, helping Peter with his homework, planning pranks, pulling pranks, late night wanderings. The pranks. God I'll miss the pranks. I'll miss the planning, I'll miss the pulling, I'll miss us screwing up every so often and I'll miss them backfiring sometimes. I'll miss Lily yelling at us for pulling the pranks. I'll miss James trying to win her heart. I'll miss them. I'll miss the Marauders, my friends. My _old _friends. They hate me now. They hate me because they know that I'm a werewolf; I thought Sirius hated prejudice. Well good one Sirius you could have fooled me. Why can't this all be a bad dream? Why can't I wake up and find I'm back in the dorm and it's all been a bad dream. Then I could tell them al about my dream and then tell them that it's true I'm a werewolf and then they could accept me. Stop kidding yourself Remus, they're gone. They're gone for good and it's all your fault. If you hadn't let Greyback bite you this wouldn't have happened, if you hadn't been so damn foolish. If only I could turn back time and live it all again. I could go and stop myself being bitten and then this wouldn't have happened. I'd be normal. I wouldn't be a monster. I wouldn't be Remus Lupin the werewolf, Remus Lupin the blood thirsty monster who is shunned from society because he's a monster. I'd be Remus Lupin the normal boy, the boy who pushes to get the best grades. I'd be me, just be and no one would be able to change that. Aren't I still just me? Aren't I still Remus Lupin the boy who pushes for top grades except for one night every month? Aren't I still me? Why can't they see that? Why can't they see I'm still the person I've always been? I'm still me guys. I'm still Remus Lupin, one of the Marauders; the one who does most of the planning, who tries to keep you in school. I'm still me. I'm me, just me.

When Remus did finally return to the dorm he moved to the bed furthest from the others and put a charm on the curtains that would keep them shut tight all night and wouldn't let any sound out from his bed. The other three boys who had once been his friends ignored him; but they still noticed he looked as if he was going to collapse again, they noticed he worked all day and night and never said a word to anyone. They weren't the only ones to notice something was different; the rest of the school noticed that the infamous Marauders had drifted apart and stopped pulling pranks. Some, i.e. Severus Snape, even tried to bully Remus; if it wasn't for Kas and Lily standing in and hexing Snape before he hexed Remus whenever they saw him trying to, Remus would spend his entire life in the hospital wing. Remus had even asked Dumbledore if he could leave the school but Dumbledore had flatly refused and told him to wait and, as he put it, 'let the tide bring the ball back to the shore for you, don't try and beat the current to get back something that you can't get by force'.

_A/N: Well that's the gist of this chapter. I put the bit at the bottom in just so you get the idea of how it's affected the school as well. Well the next chapter is going to be a bit of a sap warning. You have been warned! Now for thank you's to all my reviewers for the past two chapters because no one had reviewed when I put up the last chapter so._

_**Reth:** Thanks for both of your reviews! I'll do chapter 6 first: Yes a whole chapter just for Remus. I'm glad you liked it I can come out of my hole now. Lol. NO Sirius isn't like Hermione he just wants to have a bit of freedom first and Kas is as stubborn as a mule (I say that about Kas Kas as well, if you get what I mean. And yes she is about to kill me for saying that, lol) No pranks are to be played just yet, they will. Believe me they will. I hated this weekend because it's only left me a few hours to type up my story and I have too many ideas! Ahh… anyway. Now for chapter 7 review: Yes it is a bit powerful isn't it? I thought it would be interesting and a little different to the other one. I had originally had them just accept it but I felt like being spontaneous and make them 'hate' him if you get what I mean. Don't worry it won't last forever. It can't last forever. Are you happy it wasn't all hugs and kisses within the next chapter; it was more tissues and hugs for soft toys. Ok maybe not but yeah… you get my drift. The next chapter isn't all hugs and kisses either, promise. That only comes in nearer the end, lol. Thanks for the reviews and keep up the work on your story it's coming on really well._

_Thank you to my reviewer(s) I look forward to more reviews. #Glares at people to make them review# Next chapter should be up soon as I'm about to start writing it now._

_Ciao for now!_

_xStarswordx_


	9. Realisation

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Marauders or anything else you recognise. The only things I own are my own characters and. I do claim to own the plot either but I will be ticked off if I find someone else has written literally the same story as me.**

_A/N: Well here it is the continuation of the story and the Marauders semi make up. There is a little bit of 'hugs and kisses' in this but it is near the end. I apologise if it's a little short but it is really one class. Here it is:_

**Chapter 8- Realisation**

The next few weeks passed slowly for a certain group of boys; no matter how hard they tried to ignore Remus and try and forget about him they couldn't. James, Sirius, and Peter ere in his classes and he was answering the questions, they would see him at the other end of the table reading a book and eating his food, they saw him walking to the library. One time James did make some sort or contact with him. James had been walking back to the common room when he saw Snape ahead of him, and Remus ahead of Snape; he'd watched Snape pull out his wand and jinx Remus so he tripped and his books fell out of his arms, his bag split and his ink bottle smashed everywhere. James may not have been friends with Remus and may have been trying to ignore him but he hated seeing people be bullied when they wouldn't fight back, and Remus would not fight back. When James and Sirius picked on Snape he always tried to retaliate; but Remus didn't even try to retaliate. James had taken out his wand and jinxed Snape before Snape had a chance to say anything and was sending him bouncing along the corridor with bright pink hair.

'Thanks, Potter' Remus has mumbled as he collected his stuff.

'Don't mention it Lupin' James had replied coldly and walked off without a backward glance. Apart from that and some times in the dorm when they couldn't avoid each other the four boys had done quite well in ignoring the other's existence. People, however, kept asking them questions and the Slytherins were making snide comments; though the Slytherins usually picked on Remus more than the other three, and he was beginning to feel the pressure. Remus was tending to spend more time over his homework and go into more depth; though he was getting excellent grades he was just trying to do it to get away from his loneliness. One day Kasia and Lily had approached him and asked if he wanted to join the girls for studying but he had snapped at them.

'I'm sorry,' he'd said after he had snapped at them, 'I'm just really tired.'

He had had another full moon and it was now the first day of June and he was beginning to lose his will to continue; he'd made up his mind to tell his parents he'd prefer home tutoring than to have to come into school, but he knew it was going to be like putting a stone in mid-air across a river whilst trying to build a bridge. The truth was he missed his friends. He'd seen evidence of their pranks, but people were beginning to get bored with them. It was usually jinxing in the corridors now, changing Slytherins clothes, skin and hair different colours; they were finally beginning to realise how much they had needed Remus whilst planning new pranks. James and Sirius weren't very good tutors compared to Remus and Peter's grades were starting to fall slightly; the truth was all the boys were missing each other, though they were too stubborn to say anything. They needed someone to lay down the foundation stones for their bridge, and they needed someone fast. One morning at breakfast Professor Dumbledore informed the school that the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher had died that morning and that a replacement would be found within the week. When he came, they all wished Slughorn was teaching them DADA. He was quite a young man with a leg missing, he used a walking stick and he had an eye missing; he had refused any kind of replacement for these and he had had to give up his job as an Auror because of it. His name was Professor Richardson and everyone began to hate him. For some reason, unknown to everyone including Remus, he seemed to hate Remus with a force greater than a stampeding Hippogriff; he'd ignore Remus' hand in class unless he had no other choice and marked Remus a lot more harshly than everyone else. The reason for his hatred was a mystery to Remus until one day here weeks after Professor Richardson had arrived at Hogwarts.

'Settle down, settle down' he called over the class, 'Silence please. Today we are going to start covering the basics of werewolves.'

He seemed to Remus a pointed glare and Remus finally understood; Professor Richardson hated werewolves. He shifted in his seat and looked down at the desk.

'Can anyone tell me the basic characteristics of the werewolf?' the teacher asked. When no one raised their hand he turned to Remus.

'Why so quiet Mr Lupin?' he asked, 'Don't you usually know the answers in the classes?'

Remus felt his insides go cold; he wouldn't tell anyone would he?

'I'm sorry sir, I'm no good on the subject of werewolves,' he answered quietly; he could feel the class' eyes on him. The teacher seemed to smile victoriously.

'Dear, dear, Mr Lupin. Not up to you're usual standard is it?' he jeered. Remus felt himself go hot. He wouldn't answer, he mustn't answer.

'No on in this class can tell me the main characteristics of the werewolf?' he said, more as a statement than a question. A few people raised their hands slowly, Remus included.

'Mr Lupin? I thought you said you didn't know about werewolves' the teacher said.

'I said I wasn't very good on the subject sir' Remus answered as politely as he could.

'Well then, Mr Lupin, you seem to know now. What are the main characteristics of the werewolf?'

James couldn't believe the injustice of it, the teacher must know Remus was a werewolf so why try and make it obvious to the whole class? Suddenly, James realised why Remus hadn't told them, he was scared they would have treated him like this.

'The werewolf has a tufted tail, which the wolf does not, it has narrower pupils, a longer snout, a thicker coat, longer and sharper fangs than a wolf, and stronger muscles and jaws. The werewolf has a lower voice than that of a true wolf, howls when it has just transformed, when it has the scent of a victim and when it has killed its victim. The werewolf hunts alone instead of in a pack, always answers to the call of its own kind and rarely to the call of a true wolf' Remus said in a monotone, his head was bent down and he wasn't looking at the teacher. Professor Richardson smiled maliciously.

'I thought you said you weren't very good on this subject Mr Lupin, you seem to be good at it to me,' he said. James felt anger rising in him; it was just so unfair to Remus.

'Why should Remus have to know everything you want him to? He's only human!' James yelled. Sirius looked at him as if he was mad and brave, Peter looked frightened that James would raise his voice to a teacher, and Remus looked shocked that he had raised his voice at his defence.

'I must ask you not to raise your voice at me Mr Potter if you wish to stay out of detention' Richardson said, 'now I am hear to teach you more than just recognising the werewolf. I am here to teach you how to defend yourself against werewolves.'

Remus shuddered slightly and James felt like a total prick; he realised what an arse-hole he'd been the past few months to Remus.

'I really am a prick' he muttered.

'Nice to know you worked it out James, Lily'll be thrilled' Sirius grinned at his mate as the teacher looked through his desk.

'We all have, Sirius. We shouldn't have acted like that to Remus. He's still the same guy. Look at him, Sirius. He's as white as snow; he's scared about what's going to happen. He was scared we'd act like this, that's why he didn't tell us.'

Sirius looked at Remus and took in what James was saying, but his mind hadn't changed just yet. To his mind, Remus had betrayed his friendship. James sighed and looked back to the front where Professor Richardson had gotten out a large box.

'In my days as an Auror I had to fight many werewolves and kill them,' he said, Remus shuddered, 'I am telling you all now. Werewolves are dangerous, blood thirsty creatures that should be exterminated as soon as you find out if one person is one. Even if they are your best friend it is better to kill them than to run the risk of being bitten; werewolves enjoy their transformations and they enjoy killing. Don't be fooled by people saying they hated killing people, they didn't because their blood thirsty nature stays with them as a human.'

Remus was trying hard not to get worked up and let the teacher get to him, it was important he didn't; for his sake he had to be calm.

'Mr Lupin can I have some help please,' the teacher said, Remus took a deep breath, stood up and walked to the front of the classroom.

'No' James muttered, 'No. Oh god, he isn't.'

The teacher opened the case to reveal an assortment of instruments. Daggers, arrow tips, short swords, all made from silver. Remus felt his insides freeze at the sight of them.

'If even a small bit of silver gets into a werewolf's blood stream, even as a human, they can die,' the teacher continued Remus tried to stop his hands from shaking; he saw Sirius and James looking at him. James looked shocked and frightened; Sirius looked like he was ready to kill the teacher. 'Mr Lupin can you hold this box for me please?'

Remus took the box and looked down at the instruments that he feared almost as much as the transformations, the teacher had taken out a trunk and had put it on the desk; he opened it so the front was facing him.

'In here are various pelts, heads, teeth, and claws I have taken from werewolves I have killed during my time as an Auror; Mr Black would you come up here please?'

Sirius stood and walked up to the front of the classroom and stood by Remus, he gave Remus a slight nod of encouragement.

'Will you two please take these two boxes to the back of the classroom and lay the contents of _both_ out on the table at the back please,' Professor Richardson asked. Sirius and Remus carried the box and trunk to the back and started to empty them. When Remus touched the silver instruments he felt his hands start to burn, he pulled his hand back slightly and took a deep breath. He picked up the first dagger an had to suppress a cry of pain as the silver burnt his skin, when the dagger was on the desk he took a quick look at his hand and saw that they were burnt. Remus took a deep breath and turned back to the case; there were so many instruments in here his hands would be burnt to a crisp by the time he had finished. Sirius saw his hands and indicated to the trunk; Remus smiled gratefully and they switched places. As he looked at the pelts and things that came out of the trunk Remus felt sick; these people must have hated their transformations as much as he did and now they had died because of it. His hands hurt badly by th time he had finished and he tried to help Sirius finish taking out th silver objects, Sirius shook his head and Remus smiled gratefully at him. _Did he have his friend back?_ When the two boys were seated again the teacher continued with his lecture.

'Werewolves are evil creatures, even as humans they are evil-'

'How do you know that?' Sirius yelled, Remus looked back at the three boys at the back of the classroom.

'Excuse me Mr Black?'

'I said how do you know that?' Sirius repeated.

'I know that because I have had to kill them Mr Black. I must ask you not to shout out in my lesson again.'

Sirius continued to glare at the Professor.

'As I was saying even as humans werewolves are evil as they have a particular liking for raw meats', James snorted, he knew this wasn't true from the times he had spent with Remus.

'What do you find funny Mr Potter?' the Professor asked him.

'Oh nothing sir,' James replied, 'I just find all the crap that is coming out of your mouth very amusing.'

Sirius snorted and some of the rest of the class tried to conceal grins.

'Detention Mr Potter for your cheek. Now as I was saying' James winked at Remus who smiled back, he felt as if the Professor was good for one thing.

'The human transforms into its wolf form every twenty nine days at the full moon and is found worldwide. Yes Miss Starsword?'

Kas had raised her hand just after James had been given detention and the teacher had only just noticed.

'Well sir at the footnote on the page on werewolves in our textbooks it reads: 'This classification refers, of course, to the werewolf in its transformed state. When there is no full moon, the werewolf is as harmless as any other human.' Surely that means that humans who are werewolves are not evil when they are in their human form,' she said. _Thank god for her reading the book, _Remus thought.

'Miss Starsword I am under the impression that I have experience in this matter whereas the book does not,' Professor Richardson answered.

'Yes sir, but surely the author would have researched this and not put anything that wasn't true into the book as it is to be used for teaching purposes.'

The teacher seemed a little stumped at that, Sirius grinned like a Cheshire Cat.

'The research made is incorrect Miss Starsword, may I please continue with the lesson?' he said, sounding annoyed, 'As to how to kill a werewolf that is very simple-'

'I thought you said you were teaching us the basics not how to kill everything we see' Remus said loudly, being told about how many he'd killed was one thing but hearing him teach the rest of the class how to kill him was quite another.

'I am not teaching you to kill everything you see Mr Lupin I am teaching you how to kill murderous beasts that would try and kill you at any moment. Though if you feel you are safe from attack you may leave this class.'

Remus didn't move he wouldn't let the teacher know how much he had gotten to him. He sat through a further half an hour of the teacher telling the people around him that werewolves, and so Remus, were deadly creatures and should be killed, and teaching them the theory behind how to kill them. When the bell went he was the first one out of the classroom. At lunch he sat at his now usual place and put some food onto his plate, he didn't touch it though and just started to push it around the plate.

'Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with your food?' a voice said behind him, he turned around and saw Peter, Sirius, and James stood behind him. He looked sadly back at his food. The three boys sat down next to him, he didn't look up; he flinched as he put pressure on his burns from the fork.

'You ok?' James asked. Sirius rolled his eyes.

'Not really, being told you're a murderous beast that's going to kill everyone and then have everyone around you be told how to kill you isn't really the best lesson I've had in a while,' he replied.

'Look Remus we need to talk to you,' Sirius said, Remus stood up and walked out the hall.

'Ok, Plan A was a failure. Let's try Plan B' Sirius said.

'Plan B?' Peter asked.

'Get him to the Room of Requirement by force,' Sirius explained, the three boys took off after Remus. They saw him climbing the stairs and ran after him, James and Sirius went either side of him and lifted him up by his shoulders and the four boys went off towards the seventh floor.

'Put me down' Remus said dangerously.

'No can do mate' Sirius said as they arrived on the seventh floor.

'Put me down Black' Remus repeated.

'Lupin just shut up and hold on a minute' James said, Peter walked in front of the stretch of wall and a door appeared. They dragged Remus in and he saw shelves full of creams and bandages.

'Where are we?' he asked.

'Room of Requirement' James answered and went to one of the shelves and took down some cream, 'Put this on your hands.'

Remus did as James suggested and the burns started to heal in front of his eyes.

'Thanks'

'Look Remus we need to talk. We have been the biggest pricks in the history of prick-dom'

'Prick-dom?' Sirius asked. James rolled his eyes.

'Ok fine, whatever. We've just been the biggest pricks ever and-'

'James shut up, please' Remus said, 'it was my fault as well. I should have told you guys before but I didn't. I'm sorry.'

'As long as you forgive us, we'll forgive you' Sirius said.

'Agreed' Remus said and all four boys found themselves wrapped in a brotherly group hug. 'Shouldn't we be in lessons?'

'Err… Remus it's Friday we get the afternoon off' Sirius said. The boys laughed and walked into the common room laughing and talking together. The whole of Gryffindor found smiles involuntary appear on their faces. Even Lily Evans cracked a smile when she saw the four friends back together after so long.

_A/N: Well there you go the Marauders are back together. Since this is the second update of the day I don't have any reviewers to thanks so oh well. I will update soon._

_Ciao for now._

_xStarswordx_


	10. Welcome Back

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Marauders or anything else you recognise. The only things I own are my own characters and I do not claim to own the plot either but I will be ticked off if I find someone else has written literally the same story as me.**

**Chapter 9- Welcome back**

Three weeks later and the Marauders were back to their old habits, with one exception. Since they had sorted out their argument they hadn't pulled a single prank on anyone, not even the Slytherins; not even Snape.

'I'm bored, I need entertainment' Sirius whined. James rolled his eyes and yawned.

'You can't seriously have finished your homework already?' Remus asked suspiciously.

'Well… yea-no,' Sirius replied sheepishly; Remus gave him a look that made him shrink down in his chair.

'Ok, ok I'll do the essay just stop with the glares!'

James tried not to laugh as Sirius, muttering darkly, took out his homework and, still muttering, started to finish his essay. Five minutes later the girls walked in talking and laughing. At this Sirius almost threw his quill into his bag, the quill was shortly followed by his ¾ finished essay, he leant back in his chair and yawned widely.

'I give up, I really cannot be bothered and I'm far too tired. And don't even think about glaring at me' Sirius said to Remus; Remus sighed.

'I was actually going to agree with you' he said, he grinned at Sirius expression and put his homework in his bag.

'We haven't pulled a prank in over three weeks; we must be ill' James stated, following his friends' example.

'We've got to pull one soon or I will seriously crack.'

'Sirius, you've already cracked mate,' Remus said with a grin. James and Peter laughed.

'I've got a great idea!' Sirius said.

'What?' Remus asked warily.

'You know Peeves said he'd help us? Well why don't we pull a massive prank and get him involved as well?' Sirius asked.

'Let's get to the Room of Requirement' James suggested in a low voice as he saw Lily turn her emerald green eyes onto them, suspicion in their depths. The others agreed and they went upstairs to put their bags away. Remus was about to go downstairs when Peter stopped him.

'You don't know about our new… how shall I put it… accessory,' he said.

'What?'

James took out a long silvery cloak from his trunk and put it under his jumper.

'My dad sent me an invisibility cloak over, said he didn't want to give it to me at Christmas when mum would've seen' he replied with a grin. They walked down the stairs and out of the portrait hole; once outside James put the cloak around his shoulders.

'Am I covered?' his voice said from nothingness.

'Yep, now budge I wanna come under' Sirius said, soon the two boys were thin air.

'Come on Pete' James said, Peter stuck his arm out and a hand grabbed it and soon Peter, too, had disappeared.

'Come on Remus' Sirius said, his hand appearing out of nowhere. Remus sighed and grabbed Sirius' hand and was dragged under the cloak too.

'Do you think we're covered?' Peter asked.

'I think so, the cloak almost touches the floor so we should be fine,' James replied and the four boys set off at a slow pace towards the Room of Requirement. They reached it without any interruption; Sirius ducked out and walked back and forth in front of the wall; a door appeared and the four boys quickly dived into the room. It was fashioned like the Gryffindor common room and they each took a seat around a large table.

'So, who are we gonna prank?' Remus asked.

'Professor Richardson' Sirius said, almost instantly after Remus' question.

'All the professors' James said after Sirius.

'All of them?' Peter asked faintly.

'Is that wise?' Remus asked.

'Oh come on, we need to prove we're the best pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen and what better way than to prank the professors' Sirius said, 'Besides we need revenge for that lesson on werewolves.'

'Revenge?' Remus asked.

'You think we're gonna let that slide?' James asked seriously. Remus smiled thankfully.

'You know what?' Peter said, 'Since we've come through all these arguments and stuff I think we should make a Marauders vow.'

'What?' Sirius asked.

'Like a vow of friendship or something' Peter said quietly, he suddenly thought the others would think it was a stupid idea.

'Peter you are a genius!' James said; Peter blushed.

'Let's write it now before we plan the prank' Remus suggested, the others agreed and they set about making their promise or vow.

'Ok we'll all take the vow now; before our newest prank planning,' Sirius said, 'I'll go first.'

'I, Sirius Black, hereby make my vow as Marauder. I vow to stay true to my friends, to help them when they need my help, to be there for them in times of trouble. I swear that your fight is my fight, your troubles are mine. When you are lonely, call me, when you are sad, tell me; when you are happy, share with me, and when you are angry or hurt I'm here. So I swear as a Marauder.'

James brushed away an imaginary tear and the other three repeated the vow (but changing the name obviously). When Peter had finished a contemplative silence followed.

'Come on let's plan the prank and see if we can get it into operation by Thursday' James said.

Two days later and Thursday came, the Marauders sat down to breakfast as usual and the girls came in five minutes later and sat down with them.

'What brings you four to breakfast so early?' Diana asked.

'Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies' Sirius replied. James snorted and went back to his breakfast.

'How can you eat so much?' Rose asked.

'Haven't you learnt not to ask that yet?' Kasia said laughing; Rose smiled and the two girls went back to their breakfast as Sirius and James showed their ability to eat everything in sight.

'Seriously though why are you up so early?' Kasia asked them.

'Wait and see' Remus whispered to her.

'Now I'm worried…' she said. Sirius and James snorted and sprayed Diana and Lily with breakfast.

'Oopth..throrylilyIthidntmeantho' Sirius said.

'What?' Rose asked.

'"Oops… sorry Lily I didn't mean to"' Kas and Remus repeated simultaneously.

'Ah… I see Peeves kept his end of the deal' Sirius said as the poltergeist came into the Great Hall. People were looking at each other with raised eyebrows; Peeves had never come into breakfast before.

'Peeves?' Dumbledore asked as the poltergeist came up to the teachers' table.

'Begging your pardon Professorhead sir but may I ask you to give me a mirror sir?' Peeves asked in an innocent face. The Marauders tried not to laugh as Dumbledore obliged and conjured a mirror for Peeves. The poltergeist thanked him and flew to the doors; at that moment Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter aimed the same spell at a little timer above the table and the prank was put in motion. The hall burst into laughter as the teachers all underwent a makeover. Peeves grinned and flew back with the mirror and held it in front of each of the teachers. Richardson was dressed in a wolf skin with a wolf's head instead of a hat; Professor McGonagall's hair was bright pink and her robes had turned into a ballet dress, the Astronomy teacher now had an elephant's trunk, Professor Flitwick was now wearing a clown costume complete with makeup; Slughorn was dressed in a hippo costume, the Herbology teacher now had plants growing all over her robes and had a flowerpot instead of a hat; many other teachers had many other varieties of costumes and different coloured hair. Professor Richardson's hair kept flashing different colours and his wolf head kept howling; Dumbledore had a hat with a stuffed vulture on top, green hair and beard and was wearing bright pink dress robes with a lot of lace. Dumbledore was the only teacher who chuckled at the make-overs including his own; he stood up and the hall fell silent as people tried to hide grins and not to laugh.

'May I congratulate the students responsible for this prank, I must say it is the most inventive and daring ones we have ever seen. No punishment will be given to those responsible' the other Professors looked outraged at this, 'but I will ask you not to pull this prank again. In light of this I will also give you all the day off from lessons as your Professors will probably want to return to… err… normal before they teach you next. Enjoy this day off and I will offer my congratulations again to those responsible.'

His eyes rested for a few seconds on the Marauders and the hall cheered and started banging the tables. James saw that everyone was grinning, even the Slytherins, and even Lily Evans and the other girls. Kasia leant over to them as the hall applauded.

'Welcome back guys' she said with a grin and the students dispersed for their day off.

_A/N: Hello, sorry I took a long time to update and sorry it's a short chapter. Well I had to have a big prank in there and what better time to have it than after they make up again? Dedications of this chapter go to Reth (for continuously badgering me to update and write, I hope your happy now) and to Katie (because you're my other fellow writer and good friend that keeps emailing me!) also to the Rum Runners. Now for personal thank you's for reviews:_

_**Reth:** Thanks for reviewing yet again. There will be no biting of teachers or attempted murdering of teachers in this story at the moment (I say that because there could very well be some later on in the story I don't know). I did say what month it was in the previous chapter and this is coming up to the end of the year and the next chapter will probably be end of this year going on into next year. I hope your happy that I've now updated and you can have something to read even if it is short._

_Well that's all the replying to reviews I can do because no one is reviewing (glares at readers). I'm now giving cookies to all my readers and chocolate cookies to all those who have reviewed. I give you all gold stars! Anyway I shall try and update again soon. _

_Ciao for now,_

_xStarswordx_


	11. Falling Like Dominoes

**Chapter 10- Falling Like Dominoes**

Lily, Diana, Emma, Rose, and Kas went back to the common room to drop off their school bags and change out of their robes.

'It's good to have the boys back' Kas commented as they changed out of their school robes.

'Since when did they leave?' Lily asked pulling a red sleeveless top on.

'Well they weren't exactly all here if you see what I mean' Kas said pulling on a brown short sleeved top.

'No' Diana answered.

'Well they weren't really themselves were they? I mean firstly they weren't hanging around with Remus and then they stopped pulling pranks. It's just good to have them back to normal again, live was getting dull.'

'Was it? To be honest I was glad for the change' Lily mumbled. Kasia rolled her eyes.

'Come on Lils admit it, even you missed the pranks' Rose said. Lily sighed and nodded.

'Ok, so I missed the pranks. Tell the whole world then!'

'Awww... still our OTT girl are we?' Emma teased as the girls walked down the stairs and into the common room.

'What? Since when have I been an OTT girl?'

'Drop it guys' Kas sighed.

'Since you started doing over the homework limit' Emma replied.

'So I want good grades is that a crime?'

'Drop it' Kas said again.

'Well it is if you're going to overwork yourself'

'Drop it already!'

'I don't overwork myself I just make sure I do a lot of work to get the grades I want'

'What? You don't need t-'

'WILL YOU TWO DROP IT FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!' Kas yelled earning herself shocked looks from the rest of the common room. Lily and Emma raised their eyebrows and looked at her.

'Err… Kas, anything wrong?' Rose asked.

'Oh no nothing at all Rose, nothing at all' Kasia replied in a sarcastic voice, standing up she walked out of the common room.

'Should we go after her?' Emma asked.

'I think we better, the Marauders might find her' Lily said. Rose snorted keeping her thoughts that if the Marauders did find her it would probably be a good thing to herself and followed the others out of the common room and after Kas who was heading for the grounds. They followed their friend to the lake side where she sat down at the edge and started throwing pebbles into the inky depths.

'Kas what's wrong?' Diana asked sitting next to her friend. Kasia sighed.

'I was just thinking about the past… it's been 6 years since they died and I was just wondering what I would be like now if they were still alive,' she replied. The girls didn't know to ask who 'they' were to know Kas was talking about her family. Lily gave her friend a hug.

'We're here for you Kas' the red head whispered, the others murmured agreement and the five girls sat by the lake in a huge group hug.

The exams came and went and when the results came out everyone was please, even Peter who had managed to scrape through. Lily, James, Kas, Sirius, and Remus came top in all their subjects in Gryffindor. Soon it was time for the end of the year feast; everyone was talking and laughing. When Dumbledore stood up at the end of the feast there was a huge explosion and many people screamed. Above the heads of thousands of heads zoomed fireworks of all colours, sizes, and shapes; with an explosion of gold sparks four creatures leapt along the four house tables; a great green snake slithered above the heads of the Slytherins, a giant blue and silver eagle glided on invisible winds along the Ravenclaw table, a giant badger leapt along the Hufflepuff table, and a great gold and red lion leapt along to the end of the Gryffindor table; the animals let out their respective noises as they collided and a giant explosion sounded, from the remaining sparks was formed a giant golden 'M' when the sparks had vanished everyone clapped and whooped, including the Slytherins, the Marauders high fived each other and even Lily was laughing as the glittering 'M' faded. When the noise faded Dumbledore, eyes twinkling, spoke to the hall.

'I think a note of thanks should be sent to the creators of the fine firework display we saw here today. Now without much ado the house cup needs awarding…'

The house cup was presented to Slytherin, people clapped (except the Marauders who looked sulky) and they were dismissed from the Hall. Back in their dorm the Marauders talked about their plans for the summer.

'I'm going home' Sirius said sulkily; James tried not to laugh.

'No your not' he said simply; Sirius raised an eyebrow at James.

'Care to explain?'

'You're all coming back with me to mine' James answered simply, he laughed as Sirius knocked him over with a hug bear hug.

'You sure James?' Peter asked.

'Of course I'm sure. You guys in for it?'

'Do you-'

'Sirius shut up I know your answer. And get off me your heavy! I think my ribs are broken' James said laughing as Sirius helped him up.

'Yeah I'm up for it!' Peter squeaked happily and started writing a letter home to his parents to ask if he could stay. Sirius proceeded to send a letter home to tell, rather than ask, his parents he wouldn't be home for the summer.

'I can't' Remus said quietly. James looked at him questioningly.

'Why not?' Sirius asked.

'It's a full moon tomorrow' Remus said quietly.

'Come as soon as you can, Remus' James said, Remus smiled thankfully and the four boys went to sleep ready for the train ride home tomorrow.

&&&&&&&

The next morning and the girls could be found sitting in a carriage talking and laughing about various subjects, the main one being the Marauders and another being the likelihood of Lily and James going out.

'Will you please get it into your thick skulls I do NOT like him!' Lily said exasperated, she had been trying to convince them for the past ten minutes and was on the verge of just saying she did to shut them up. Kas just grinned and looked back at her book.

'Anyway' Diana said loudly before Emma could open her mouth to reply, 'Who wants a game of Wizard's chess?' she asked.

'I'll give you a game' Emma said, the twins were very competitive of each other, especially with chess.

'Lily, Rose either of you want a game?' Kas asked them. They shook their heads.

'I could never understand the rules for each of the pieces' Lily said.

'I'm no good at strategy games' Rose mumbled. Kas shrugged when the compartment door opened.

'Mind if we sit here? Everywhere else is full' Remus asked before James or Sirius could open their mouths. The Marauders sat down with the girls.

'Any of you want a game of chess?' Kas asked them.

'I'll beat you but yeah why not' Sirius said, Lily snorted.

'What?' Sirius asked as Kas got out a chess set.

'You beat Kas at chess? If I live to see the day _anyone _beats Kas at chess I'll kiss James Potter' she said.

'Don't even _think _about asking me to lose James' Kas said wryly; everyone except Lily and James snorted. The two games were soon underway; the Marauders were impressed with Kas' chess skills and even more surprised when she took Sirius' queen (a feat only James had managed to do before).

'Why the hell did you learn to play?' Sirius asked as she took his last knight with her rook.

'Mum and Dad taught me' she replied quietly. An embarrassed silence followed this answer; after another ten minutes Diana managed to beat Emma, both of them had their kings but Diana also had a rook and knight. Sirius and Kas were still playing. James gave a huge yawn.

'I'm bored' he said, stretching.

'Checkmate!' Sirius said triumphantly.

'No it's not!' Kas said and moved her king.

'Damn it!' Sirius muttered. Silence came from the corner where the two were playing again.

'Can't you guys just finish already!' Rose said.

'I wouldn't say that if I were you' Peter said, 'Sirius is a chess fanatic'.

The seven students talked for the next ten minutes when there was another cry of:

'Checkmate!' Kasia said, a grin on her face.

'Not yet' Sirius said happily and took her rook.

'Oh for god's sake!' Lily cried, 'when are you two gonna stop already?'

'When I win' they replied in unison. Half way through the journey and:

'Checkmate!' Kasia said for the tenth time.

'Damn you!' Sirius said.

'Ha! Told you you wouldn't beat me!' Kasia said happily and leant back in her seat.

'What were we talking about?' she asked, Lily saw a chance for payback.

'How likely it is for you and Sirius to get together' she said calmly.

'LILY KATE EVANS!' Kasia shrieked and launched herself at her friend; Lily ran, laughing, out of the compartment and along the corridor.

'LILY GET BACK HERE!' they heard Kas yell as she ran after her. The Marauders gave each other surprised looks while the other girls were laughing. Suddenly a loud crash sounded from somewhere in the direction the two girls had disappeared in.

'What the-? Kas wouldn't have used magic would she?' Emma asked.

'Course not, not on her friends. You know that. Neither would Lily…' Diana said.

'Hang on that isn't the direction to the-?' Rose started,

'Shit' the three girls ran out followed by the Marauders.

&&&&&&&&

'Why did we have to choose this direction again?' Lily asked Kas as she ducked a spell from Malfoy's wand; Kas didn't reply, she and Lily were trying to duel six Slytherins each.

'Stupefy!' Kas yelled and one of the Slytherins fell down, unconscious.

'You little bitch!' Bellatrix yelled and sent a jet of yellow light at Kas, it caught the girl in the chest as she dodged a different jet of light and she was thrown back into the wall. She stood up shakily.

'You'll pay for that Bella' Kas spat at the Slytherin. Lily yelled as she was thrown off her feet.

'Lily!' Kas helped her friend up, 'Get out of here and get the Marauders' she muttered to her.

'What about you?' Lily said, 'I'm not leaving.'

'We also can't fight all of them ourselves' Kas said as the two girls dodged more light.

'Why the hell do you want the Marauders anyway?' Lily asked.

'This is a duel Lily' Kas said as she dived again, Lily say blood in her friend's hair. Bella sent another jet at Kas that the girl only just managed to dodge.

'I saw that Bella' said a voice behind them, the two girls turned and saw the Marauders, Rose, Diana, and Emma.

'Bout bloody time' Kas muttered deflecting another spell sent by Bellatrix.

'Ah, cousin, how nice of you to drop by' she sneered, sending another spell at Kas.

'Bella stop talking and just get this over with!' Narcissa snapped. Bella shrugged and sent another jet at Kas.

'What the hell did I ever do to you?' Kas yelled at her as she dodged what must have been the 20th curse from Bellatrix.

'Just the fact you're hanging around with Mudbloods, you're a blood traitor, and you're hanging around with members of my family and giving us a bad name' Bella jibed.

Lily dodged another curse and sent one back to Goyle and sent him flying back into the Slytherin's compartment. Narcissa sent a curse at her back that sent her falling to the floor.

'Well at least you know where you belong Mudblood' she jibed at her; she sent a curse at her that she deflected easily.

'Can't you do any better?' she said in a sarcastic voice. Her tone made Lily's blood boil, she was as good a dueller as she was; anger such as she had never felt before swamped her and she stood up and faced her. She felt as if a red haze was covering her vision and she started firing any spell she could think of at her. Her viciousness took Narcissa by surprise and a stunning spell caught her and flung her into the compartment after Goyle. She turned around and saw Crabbe smiling wickedly at her.

'Come on little Mudblood lets see what your made of' he jibed.

James had seen Lily send Narcissa flying into the compartment and grinned to himself as he fought Snape.

'What's the matter Snivellus? Not up to our usual duelling standard are we?' James said teasingly. Snape sent a curse at him and James ducked sending a disarming spell at Snape; Snape growled and lunged at James, forgetting their wands the two boys started swinging their fists at each other. Snape caught James on the eye and James' elbow caught Snape's chin and sent his head backwards; someone stood on James' fingers on his left hand, James yelped in pain and saw Bellatrix grinning evilly above him still fighting Kas.

Sirius and Malfoy were sending so many spells at each other it was hard to tell which spell came from which wand.

'Come on Malfoy I'm getting bored now!' Sirius yelled above the noise. Many other students had joined in the fight now and almost all the Gryffindors and Slytherins in the area were involved, even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were fighting.

'I'll give you bored Black!' Malfoy roared and sent a stunning spell at Sirius that he ducked, he hard it hit someone else. As Sirius dodged another blast he knocked into someone's back, he spun around and saw Remus.

'Hey Rem, how you faring?' he asked. Remus laughed.

'As well as a Marauder can fare in a duel against Slytherins' he answered.

'Good, good, glad to hear it' said Sirius cheerfully and rejoined his fight with Malfoy.

'_Stupefy!'_ Kas roared and Bellatrix had to dive to one side to avoid it leaving James' hand free.

'Come on Starsword you can fight better than this!' Bella roared, people were breaking off their duels now as more and more Slytherins looked like a Halloween costume gone wrong. Kasia jumped to the side and fell over James and Snape still fighting on the floor; she landed heavily and the breath was knocked out of her. Snape was knocked off James and the two boys dived for their wands. Snape got to his first and turned to Kas as she stood up breathing heavily.

'_Sectumsempra!' _ he yelled, Kas jumped aside but the spell caught the side of her face, a cut opened on her cheek.

'_Petrificus Totalus!' _James yelled and Snape went stiff as a board. Kas turned back to Bella as she aimed a spell at James.

'James!' Kas yelled, she rammed into him and the two went flying into Lily, Sirius, and Remus.

'Hey!' Sirius yelled and grabbed a handful of Emma's robes, this pulled Diana down. Diana fell into Rose who grabbed Peter to stay up. This continued until most people were on the floor. Bella was walking towards the pile of fallen people when Kas pointed her wand out from under the people who were crushing.

'_Imalum Semara!' _she yelled; Bella was sent flying backwards into a group of fellow Slytherins, when she stood up her face was surrounded by a film of silver.

'Where are you Starsword?' she shrieked, 'I'll get you for this. Mark my words I'll get you!'

'Nice to know' Kas yelled back as James and Sirius stood up enabling her to try and stand. Sirius offered her his hand and helped her up.

'Thanks' she said; she noticed Sirius glance at her left cheek.

'What?' she asked.

'You're bleeding' he commented; she reached up and touched the place where Snape's curse had hit her.

'I'll live' she said with a smile as the train pulled into the station. Judging by the looks of parents as their children climbed off the train they hadn't expected their children to look like they'd run through a bramble forest or looked as if they'd tried to wear about fifty different Halloween costumes at once.

'See you next year!' James yelled at the girls as he, Sirius, and Peter walked up to his parents, 'See you in a few days Remus!'

'See you!' Remus called back and walked out of the station with his parents; hurrying to be home by the time night came.

'Bye James! Bye Sirius! Bye Peter! Bye Remus! We'll see you over the holiday's girls!' Diana and Emma called as they followed their parents out of the doors.

'See you next year!' Rose called to everyone. Lily and Kas stood at the station and waved to their friends.

'How you getting home?' Sirius asked them coming up with James, Peter, and Mr and Mrs Potter.

'Same as always' Kas said shrugging, 'I'm just gonna stay with Lils until her parents get here.'

'Aren't you going to Lyn's Lily?' Mrs Potter asked. Lily shook her head sadly.

'Mum and Dad want me back for the summer' she sighed.

'You're welcome over if you want' Mrs Potter said kindly, Sirius snorted but turned it into a cough; Kas grinned at him and Peter tried not to smile.

'Have I missed something?' James' mum asked.

'No mum' James said quickly, 'Sirius is just being a prat.'

'I resent that!' Sirius said 'It's not my fault you-'

But he stopped as James kicked him discreetly in the shin. Lily's parents arrived with Petunia and greeted Lily, Kas, Sirius, James, Peter, and James' parents warmly; Petunia stood to one side.

'Hi Mum, hi Dad' Lily said smiling, her parents gave her a look, she sighed. 'Hello Petunia.'

Petunia glared at her and then looked at Kas.

'Can I ask why you have huge cut on your face or is it normal for everyone at that freak school to come back looking like they've been made to live in the middle of a forest?' Petunia asked in a spiteful voice. Everyone looked at Kas except the two sets of adults.

'Petunia I'll ask you not to insult my friends' Lily spat.

'Actually it's only me that always looks like they've been made to life in the middle of a forest' Kas answered calmly, 'probably has something to do with the fact I do.'

Petunia glared at her and Lily tried to choke back a laugh.

'Come on Lily, we have to be getting back. We're meeting Vernon tonight' Mrs Evans said.

'Vernon? Whose he?' Lily asked.

'My boyfriend freak' Petunia spat. Lily had half a mind to answer back but decided against it and just started to follow her parents and sister.

'Bye guys, see you after the holidays' she muttered.

'If you want Lily can come and stay with us for a while' Mrs Potter called to Lily's parents, 'Kas will be too, won't you Kas?'

Kas smiled gratefully at Mrs Potter.

'If it's not too much trouble Mrs Potter' Kas answered. Lily's mother seemed to consider.

'I'm sure the freak would love that' Petunia said rudely.

'Don't call me a freak, Petty' Lily said icily. The two girls glared at each other.

'If you want to you can Lily' Mrs Evans said, realising it wouldn't be healthy for the two girls to be in the same house as each other for the entire length of the holidays.

'Yes please' Lily said, still glaring at Petunia. Kas was reminded of James and Snape.

'That's settled then!' Mrs Potter said cheerfully and started to lead the group away to the car.

'We'll see you soon Lily' her mother called after her, Lily waved goodbye with a smile and followed the group to the Potter's car.

_A/N: So there you go. It's a little longer than the others have been, at least now I won't be killed by anyone (looks at Vicky). Honestly I can't escape being told to write even though I'm ill. I feel so loved (not the sarcasm). Anyway enough of my health problems. I hope you like the chapter; the next one is going to be the holidays, either all of it or a part of it. Haven't decided yet. Anyway if you liked this chapter review. If you didn't review. I want feedback people! I'll get writing the next chapter soon. Personal thank you to reviewer:_

_**Reth:** Thanks for the review. No they didn't get punished because I'm nice and yes they got the day off. No Miss Coe and Mrs Langridge would probably expel us if we did that but that's those grumpy gits and this is Dumbledore. BIG difference. Anyway hope you like this chapter and thank you for reviewing._

_Thank to my all of one reviewer. _

_Ciao for now._

_xStarswordx_


	12. Summer at James

**Chapter 11- Summer at James'**

Lily arrived at Cherry House for the second time in her life and almost ran down the path to the front door; it was the end of their second year and Kas and Lily were staying with James again for the summer; Peter hadn't been able to make it last year and Remus had to go to home due to another full moon and they were expecting him the next day. Kas looked up at the large house with a blank expression but looked at the surrounding gardens with awe; she still couldn't get over the beauty of them.

'You have beautiful gardens' Kas commented.

'Thank you' Mrs Potter said, 'It's mostly done by the house elves but I try and do some when I have a free moment.'

Kasia smiled and continued to look over the grounds. Lily smiled at her friend; Lily knew Kas was only happen if there was an area of open space nearby. When they reached the front door it swung open and a house elf stood in the doorway.

'Hi Lena' Sirius said happily as the elf sprung forward.

'Master Sirius! Welcome back!' the elf squeaked, she looked at James and leapt to give him a hug around his waist.

'Hey Lena, how are you?' he asked laughing.

'Master James! I've missed you! I am well Master how are you?' Lena squeaked.

'Never been better' James grinned; the elf let go of James and looked at Lily.

'Mistress Lily! You're back! How are you?' Lily laughed and bent down to return the hug.

'Hey Lena, I've missed you.'

'I've missed you too Mistress Lily' the elf squeaked happily.

'Lena this is Peter, our fellow Marauder and Larkasia, or Kasia as she prefers' James said.

'Master Peter! How nice to meet you!' Lena squeaked giving Peter a hug. Peter looked shocked and James.

'Mistress Kasia! I'm pleased to meet you!' the elf squeaked, Kas bent down and returned the hug from the house elf.

'Hi Lena' she said quietly. Kas suddenly had a faraway look in her eyes. Peter was still looking at the skirt, top and shawl the elf was wearing.

'I didn't realise you're elf wore clothes' he said quietly to James.

'Lena isn't a house elf to us, she's part of the family' James explained. The group walked in and Lena took their coats and luggage; James took them into the library and they sat talking for a while until dinner. Dinner was a mixture of everyone's favourite dishes; of course with Sirius that wasn't too difficult as he loved any food that would stay still for long enough. Everyone talked all the way through dinner and by the time pudding was cleared away they were all sleepy. Lily yawned and stretched, Sirius just yawned loudly, James grinned.

'I take it we're now tired' he said. Lily rolled her eyes.

'God James you should take up a career as a detective you're powers of observation are amazing' Kasia said sarcastically; they all laughed and stood up. Peter, Lily, and Kas followed Sirius and James to the bedrooms; they stopped outside Sirius' bedroom.

'See ya tomorrow Sirius' James said, Sirius nodded and walked into his room.

'This is yours Kas' James said pointing to the one to the left of Sirius'; she nodded and Lily and James tried not to laugh when they caught each other's eyes. When she was in her room James pointed to the door on the other side of Sirius'.

'That's yours Pete' James said, Peter muttered a thanks and goodnight and left Lily and James standing in the hall. James turned to the other side of the hall avoiding Lily's eyes.

'Yours is the one on the right' he said as he made to open his door.

'James?' Lily asked quietly. He turned round.

'Yeah?'

Lily was silent for a moment, she shook her head.

'Doesn't matter. Night James'

'Night Lils'

'Oh and James?'

'Yer?'

'Don't call me Lils please' Lily said with a grin. James grinned and they walked into their rooms. Lily's was just as she remembered it and she collapsed onto the bed without even bothering to change. She fell asleep almost immediately.

Lily woke up the next morning to find two hazel eyes starting at her.

'What the-? James? What the hell? Don't ever do that again that was scary!' she said. James grinned sheepishly.

'Sorry but I thought you'd want breakfast' he handed her some toast and she took it with a smile and started eating.

'What time is it?' she asked.

'Almost half nine. Only Kas told me you hate waking up after ten so I thought I better wake you up and bring you breakfast at the same time' he replied.

'Where's everyone else?' she asked, her stomach suddenly felt a little painful but she ignored it thinking it was just hunger.

'Kas is walking outside, Sirius and Peter are still asleep. They hate waking up before ten' he said laughing at the end. Lily smiled but the pain in her stomach was reaching an almost unbearable point. She felt as if claws were reaching inside her and were pulling her stomach apart. It took all her will not to cry out in pain, she felt something trickle down her legs; she looked down and realised with horror it was blood.

'What's wrong?' James asked. Lily wished that the bed could swallow her up; she realised, with much embarrassment it was her first period. James suddenly seemed to comprehend what was happening and went bright red; he looked as if he would rather face the whole of Slytherin house on his own in a duel than be with Lily while she was having her first period.

'I'll get my mum' he said quietly. Lily felt herself blush deeper and wished he hadn't been there to witness this. A few minutes later and Mrs Potter came in smiling and carrying some items in her hands. She sat down next to Lily and Lily felt as if it was her own mother sitting next to her and not James' talking to her about periods. When they had finished talking Mrs Potter laughed softly.

'I must admit I've never seen James so embarrassed before. He was speaking so delicately I thought there was something wrong with him,' Mrs Potter said, Lily laughed and the two of them walked down to the dining room. James was sitting in there with Sirius and Peter and when Lily walked in he blushed so deeply he looked like a tomato; Lily tried not to blush but unfortunatly she felt herself grow hot. Sirius looked at them and raised an eyebrow.

'Care to explain?' he asked.

'NO' James and Lily said in unison. This caused them to blush deeper, if possible. Sirius snorted and went back to his food; Lily's appetite had faded soon after the toast that James had brought to her room so she sat at the table and gazed out of the window; in the distance she saw James' replica Quidditch pitch and saw Kas walking back from it. Lily stood out and walked out of the dining room, when she was out she ran to meet Kas.

'Ok what's happened?' Kas asked as her friend met her breathless and red faced.

'JameswasinmyroomwhenIhadmyfirstperiod' Lily gasped out quickly.

'What?' Kas asked. Lily took a deep breath went even redder and said slower.

'James was in my room when I had my first period' she muttered. Kas smiled and then started laughing clutching her side and trying not to fall onto the ground.

'James? In… your room… when you… had your… first… period?' she gasped out. Lily nodded and Kas laughed harder.

'I gotta see his face come on' Kas dragged Lily back into the dinning room; when Kas saw their beetroot red faces she burst into more laughter and sat down at the table to stop from falling over. Sirius and Peter looked at her in shock and James had sunk so low in his chair the only visible part of him was his hair. Lily was sat at the other end with her face in her hands. When Kas had finally stopped laughing she turned to Lily.

'Sorry Lils but you have to admit it was funny' Kas said innocently, 'What I should said was are you ok?'

'Yes Kasia, I am perfectly fine now can you please stop embarrassing me. I thought you were my friend!' Lily said. Kasia put on an innocent face and Lily sighed then she burst out laughing.

'You know, now that you've said that it is quite funny' Lily said, James groaned and Kas and Lily burst into more laughter.

'This is gonna be good for parties' Kasia said evilly.

'Ok can someone please fill me and Pete in?' Sirius said, 'Not only are you two laughing your heads off but Lily and James go red whenever they look at each other and James is currently trying to knock his brains out on the table.'

Kas took hold of James' collar and yanked him up.

'Why me?' he muttered. Lily raised her eyebrows.

'Excuse me but I think it was just a tad more embarrassing for me' she said.

'Whatever! You didn't have to sit next to you!' James snapped back. Kas was trying not to laugh and ended up stuffing her fist into her mouth.

'You weren't the one with the bloody stomach cramps!' Lily shot back.

'You weren't the one who didn't know what was happening at first! I thought you were bloody dieing!' he said voice rising.

'I didn't know what was happening at first you prat! If I had I would have told you to bugger off!'

Kas sat next to Sirius and whispered something into his ear; he tried not to laugh as he relayed the message to Peter.

'I would have gladly gone out! God do you know how embarrassed I was?' he yelled.

'Jesus James you really should try being a girl once in a while. Do you know how painful it is?' Lily yelled.

'Well sorry but I think I'll pass on the idea of having a period!' he yelled. At that moment Remus walked in and Kas, Sirius and Peter burst out laughing.

'Shall I come back in again?' Remus asked. Lily and James were bright red again.

'Hey Remus' James said. Remus grinned when he saw James' embarrassed face.

'What's happened?' Remus asked.

'James was sitting with lily when she had her first period' Sirius blurted out while trying not to fall off the chair.

'Sirius!' Lily yelled and launched herself at him. Kas stood up and dragged her away from Sirius.

'Violence doesn't solve anything Lily' Kas said in a calm voice. Lily stopped struggling but she continued to glare at Sirius.

'If this is round the whole castle when we get back I will make it my personal business to make sure you _never _have any children' she said in a dangerous voice.

'You wouldn't' Sirius said.

'Oh I would' Lily said, James, Peter and Remus grimaced and Kas tried not to laugh.

'Anyway' Kas said letting go of Lily and they all walked out into the grounds. Diana and Emma were due to visit the following week and Rose would try and visit some time during the holidays. The girls had now adopted the name 'The Florettes' and had various nicknames each; they were also known as 'The Marauders girls' and few boys would ask them out. This had served to annoy them and they had told everyone time and time again that they were not the Marauders property. Lily had spent two summers at home in total since she had started Hogwarts, the other two had been spent at James' with Kas and Sirius. Kas kept returning to the forest with the wolves for a week or two during the holidays she spent at James' house and sometimes would spend the Christmas and Easter holidays there too; she was the most secretive of all the Florettes especially about her past. Roles had been firmly founded in the Florettes and Marauders; in the Florettes Lily was the studious one who kept all of their notes up to date and made sure they didn't slack off their studies, she was also one of the more obvious rule abiders of the group, Diana was the outgoing one who had had as many boyfriends as James or Sirius had had girlfriends but she maintained a mature approach to life, Emma was like her twin but a lot more outgoing and didn't have as mature an approach as Diana she had probably had more boyfriends than Diana, Rose was the quietist of the group and tried, along with Lily, to keep the others up to date with their homework, Kasia was the more secretive of the group, she would rarely talk of her past and she helped Rose and lily to keep Diana and Emma in check with their work. Lily and Kas were renowned for their tempers, where Lily's could spark off at any moment depending on her mood Kas had more control over her's and rarely lost it; if she did ever lose her temper though it was best to be the other side of Hogwarts. In the Marauders though James and Sirius were renowned players and slacked off their work, however they still maintained their grades, Remus was the studious one of the group and Peter was the shy one who turned to Remus for help with his work and almost hero-worshipped Remus, James and Sirius. Remus had a temper like Kas and it seemed only Sirius had any control over the two, though no one knew how he achieved this; it was James who had the knack of setting off Lily's temper and did it quite often, today was no exception as she was already embarrassed and didn't need much to set it off.

'Whose up for a game of Block 1 2 3?' Kas asked.

'How do you know about that game? I thought it was just played by Muggles' Lily asked her.

'It is, but I life in a forest near a muggle village Tiger' Kas said to Lily; they had animal nicknames when they'd all tried to find their animal totems; Kasia had explained about them to the others so now they all used their totemic animal names for nicknames.

'Point taken, whose on base?' Lily asked.

'How do you play?' Sirius asked. Kas laughed and went on to explain the rules.

'It's easier to play than Quidditch' Lily said, Sirius and James looked at her as if she was crazy.

'Hey Lils, considering you've got a chaser, keeper, and the two beaters from the house team here I wouldn't say that if I were you' Kas said laughing.

'I think you mean two chasers, one beater and the keeper' Sirius said, 'I've been moved to chaser from beater now remember.'

'Yeah and left me all on my own to be with James' Kas said in a mock-hurt voice.

'Anyway' Remus said loudly, 'Let's play. Whose on base?'

'I'm not' Lily said automatically.

'Neither am I' Kas said.

'Damn you' James muttered.

'James can be on base!' Sirius said putting an arm on his friend's shoulder.

'Next time ask me when you're gonna volunteer me Sirius' James said irritably; they chose a suitable tree and they all ran off, except Lily who stood behind James with an evil grin on her face.

'20!' James yelled, he turned around and Lily put her arm over her shoulder and shouted.

'Block 1 2 3 IN!' Lily grinned wickedly at James.

'You little cheater' he said and took off after her. Lily burst out laughing and ran as fast as she could, the game was forgotten as James chased Lily down to the woods near the edge of the grounds of his house; as Lily got to the edge of the small slope that led down to the woods James caught her and the two of them went rolling down the hill into some long grass at the bottom. Laughing they reached the bottom and James landed slightly on top of Lily, he propped himself up on one elbow and looked at her laughing.

'That's what you get for cheating Miss Evans' he said, Lily laughed.

'I wasn't cheating you can do that, you forgot to say the rhyme that means people can't do that,' she replied with a grin.

'Is that so?' James said, an evil grin on his face.

'What are you-?' before Lily could finish James had started tickling her.

'James stop! No! Get off!' she gasped; James laughed as she squirmed trying to get away.

'Say you're sorry Miss Evans!' he said; Lily was still laughing.

'I'm sorry!' she gasped out.

'Say I'm the hottest guy you've ever met' he went on.

'No!' Lily said, James tickled her harder, 'Ok ok you're the hottest guy I've ever met!'

James, grinning like a Cheshire Cat, stopped tickling her.

'Make note I would never say that unless I was under the influence of tickling' Lily said as she rolled onto her back. James grinned.

'I'll have to tickle you more often then' he said; Lily hit him playfully on the shoulder and looked up at the sky.

'Weren't we supposed to be playing a game?' Lily asked, James looked at her and smiled.

'I think we might have done, but you cheated and I had to get you back for it' he replied. Lily smiled and closed her eyes, the sun was warm and she was content to lie amongst the grass and let the warmth sink in; she heard James lie back nearby.

'The others'll be wondering where we are' she said after a few minutes; she felt almost sorry she had said it.

'Ah well, we can always play a game of hide and seek and they can look for us and we'll stay here' James said. Lily laughed and looked across at him; both of them had grass stains on their clothes and James had even picked up some leaves in his messy hair giving him an even messier look than normal. James looked across at Lily and their eyes met; they had both forgotten their embarrassment of a few hours ago. Lily sighed and looked away; she still hadn't fully forgiven James for the episode on the train in first year although the Florettes and the Marauders were good friends. James reached out and tucked a strand of Lily's hair behind her ear, she looked back at him and he smiled at her. She smiled back and sat up, stretching.

'We better get back' she said, 'I bet everyone's got back to base which means you're on again.'

James groaned and stood up the two of them walked back across the grounds and saw everyone gathered around the tree.

'Where'd you go to?' Sirius asked; Kas tried to hide a grin as she saw the grass stains and leaves in their hair.

'Well Lily cheated and I had to get her back for it' James replied, Kas laughed.

'I saw that, it was really funny. She stood behind him and when he finished counting she just reached over and touched the tree' Remus said grinning.

'Let's go in' Sirius suggested before James could say anything else. They went into the library where Sirius and Kas started a game of chess; the two had become firm enemies in the chess region and played games whenever they could; though Sirius was getting closer to beating Kas each time she was still beating him. Remus grabbed a book from the shelves and started reading, Peter copied him; both of them were looking for more information on Animagi transformations, they wanted to check a few more steps before they tried the actual transformations. Lily sat down on one of the couches and James sat next to her; she rolled her eyes and watched Kas and Sirius' game.

'Hey! How could you do that? I made sure she was safe!' Sirius said as Kas took his queen. She laughed and he took one of her rooks as payback.

'Will they ever stop playing?' Lily asked James, he smiled and shook his head.

'I doubt it' he replied. The sun was setting and Lena came in to light a fire.

'Is there anything you want Masters and Misses?' she asked.

'No thank you Lena' James replied with a smile.

'Yeah you can make Kas let me take her queen' Sirius muttered irritably. James laughed and Lena went out the room to continue preparing dinner; the doorbell went and James got up to answer it. Lily watched him leave the library and Kas grinned at her.

'What?' Lily asked.

'Nothing, Flame, nothing at all' Kas said.

'Water you tell me what you were grinning at or I'll make sure Sirius wins' Lily replied. Kas nodded towards the door and ducked as Lily threw a cushion at her, it hit Sirius in the face.

'Oi!' he yelled.

'Sorry Sirius, Kas ducked' Lily said. Kas and Sirius returned to the game as Diana and Emma walked in with James.

'Hey Tiger, hey Wolf how you doing?' Emma asked.

'Hey Eagle, hey Owl' Lily said standing up and giving the twins a hug, 'Any new guys yet Eagle?'

Emma laughed, 'Nope, not yet. Unfortunatly for some.'

'You try living with her it's a nightmare' Diana grumbled. Lily laughed and the three girls went to sit back down. Diana and Emma sat in two armchairs and Lily returned to the couch, James followed her and the twins exchanged knowing glances.

'Ok why the hell is everyone either grinning at me or sharing odd looks with each other? Do I have five eyes or something?' Lily asked, she was getting irritated now.

'Jesus Flame calm down' Diana said.

'We'll tell you later Lils' Emma said.

'Wolf hasn't told you ahs she?' Lily asked. Diana and Emma burst out laughing.

'KAS I AM GONNA KILL YOU!' Lily shrieked. Kas laughed and dived out of the way as Lily aimed a pillow at her head; the two girls started to run around the library while the others looked on amused. When Sirius went to sit down with the others Kas ran behind and started to use him as a shield.

'Ok why you using me as a shield?' Sirius asked as Lily tried to get round him.

'Because you're closest' Kas answered keeping around the other side of Sirius to Lily.

'I better be getting paid for this' Sirius grumbled as Lily's pillow caught him on the head.

'Getting paid in what?' Kas asked and ducked around the other side and Lily came tearing round.

'I could think of a few things' he muttered in reply.

'Act your age not your shoe size Sirius' Kas said as she ducked Lily's pillow.

'Fine I'll just let Lily get to you then-'

'No!' Kas yelled as Lily tried to hit her again. Sirius laughed and grabbed Lily, he took her back to the couch and dropped her on James.

'Keep hold of her for me would ya?' Sirius said to James, James glared at him but kept hold of Lily anyway, mainly to stop her causing harm to himself than to Sirius and Kas. The two of them returned to their chess game where Kas beat Sirius (again). They followed James into the dining room and everyone talked and ate before they all went to James' room; Diana and Emma were in the rooms next to Lily's. When everyone was inside they all sat in a circle in the floor.

'How about a game of Truth or Dare?' Emma suggested.

'Oh god' Diana muttered.

'Ok but its got to be in our pj's' Sirius said, the girls groaned but everyone agreed in the end and they all went to their separate rooms to change.

_A/N: So chapter 11 finished. I'm home alone cos Mum is at work and Dad's gone to Portsmouth. I feel like death warmed up and I'm writing my fan fic. Oh well at least I don't have to go school. Review please people! I'll go on and write the next chapter 'Truth or Dare'. Should be interesting and disgusting but oh well. _

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx_


	13. Truth or Dare

**Chapter 12- Truth or Dare**

It was 9:00pm and the group could be found in James' room in their pyjamas and sitting in a circle.

'How about we play a different version of Truth or Dare?' Emma suggested.

'If it includes the bottle then no' Diana said, Emma stuck her tongue out at her twin.

'Maybe later' Remus said quickly.

'Ok I'll ask first' James said with an evil grin.

'Uh oh…' Sirius muttered, he could tell who was going to be asked.

'Sirius' James said evilly.

'How'd I guess?' Sirius muttered.

'Truth or Dare?' James asked.

'I'll play it safer and do a Truth' Sirius said, not at all trusting his friend's evil look.

'Ok… if you could go out with anyone in this room who would it be?' James asked smirking, the Marauders knew who Sirius would chose.

'And no lies other wise we'll turn your hair bright pink' Remus said quickly. Sirius glared at him and muttered something.

'Didn't quite get that Sirius' Peter said trying not to laugh.

'Kas' Sirius muttered with a glare at James. The girls burst out laughing, except Kas who whacked Lily over the head.

'Sirius' turn' Remus said trying not to laugh.

'Lily Truth or Dare?' Sirius said.

'Dare' Lily said with a grin. Sirius grinned happily.

'Make out with James' he said, Lily probably would have hit him if Emma and Diana hadn't grabbed her arms.

'You live to embarrass me don't you Sirius?' James asked.

'All in a days work Jamesie-poo' Sirius said in a baby-voice.

'I will get you back one day Siri' James said with a grin. Remus grabbed Sirius.

'How about we get this dare out the way with before someone ends up in hospital' he suggested with a smirk. Lily took a deep breath and sat next to James; the rest of the Florettes were trying not to laugh and the other Marauders were trying not to smile and failing miserably. Lily put her arms around James' neck and leaned in and kissed him; James put his arms around Lily's waist and ran his tongue over her bottom lip. Something was telling Lily to be careful but she pushed it to the back of her mind and opened her mouth. James was surprised, he was kissing the girl he had always wanted to go out with; he deepened the kiss. After a few minutes they pulled apart and Sirius and Remus wolf whistled; Lily and James and Lily went back to her place between Emma and Diana.

'Di, Truth or Dare?' Lily asked. Diana considered for a moment.

'Truth' she said. Lily paused for a moment then grinned.

'Which of the Marauders would you rather go out with?' she asked. Diana groaned slightly.

'Remus' she answered. Remus looked as shocked at this as everyone else; Diana hadn't even told her sister she liked Remus. She hoped they wouldn't work it out.

'Remus, Truth or Dare?' Diana asked, she hoped he would say dare; she had a good idea for one.

'Dare' he answered. Diana smirked.

'Make out with Sirius.'

Sirius and Remus' jaws dropped, Diana was grinning, and everyone else was in hysterics. Sirius started whacking his head on the chair and Remus had to walk over to stop him from bashing his brains out. Unfortunatly Diana pushed him into Sirius and this caused the dare to get underway. Remus ran his tongue along Sirius' bottom lip and Sirius opened his mouth. Everyone was laughing hysterically and they only stopped the dare when James walked over and pulled them apart.

'Break it up lovebirds' he said grinning.

'Hey I resent that!' Sirius said and pushed James onto his bed. James laughed and threw a pillow at Sirius, Sirius ducked and Remus caught it.

'Break it up children' he said with a grin, 'Lily Truth or Dare?'

'Why is everyone picking on me?' she asked, 'I'll go for Truth this time.'

'Is James a good kisser?' Remus asked, the Florettes snorted.

'Yes' Lily answered, going red as she said it. 'Kas Truth or Dare?'

'I'll go with dare' Kas said grinning at Lily.

'Damn you, can you read my mind or something?' Lily asked irritably, she wanted to ask Kas if she fancied Sirius.

'No we're just good friends' Kas replied with a smirk. Lily shook her head and then an idea struck her.

'I dare you to show everyone your secret' Lily said. Kasia froze for a moment and then realised what Lily meant. She smiled and shook her head.

'Jesus Kas you didn't think I meant the other one did you?' Lily asked, shocked her friend would think that.

'I was a little confused for a moment' Kas admitted. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

'What shape?' Kas asked.

'Yours' Lily answered, Kas nodded. In a flash a pure white wolf was standing where Kas had been sitting, her plumed tail swung side to side lazily, the piercing yellow eyes were the same as Kas' though. The wolf gave a wolfish grin and then leapt at Lily; Lily laughed and ducked, the wolf cuffed her with her paw though and then Kas stood where the wolf had landed.

'What did you that for?' Lily asked, Kas smiled innocently.

'Payback' Kas replied. Remus was staring at Kas.

'You're an Animagus?' he asked. Kas shook her head.

'A rare type of Animagus, a shapeshifter' she replied. She looked around the room at everyone.

'Hmm… Remus Truth or Dare?' she asked.

'Truth' Remus said, not wanting to test Kas' daring ability.

'Tell us a secret' she replied; the Marauders looked at Remus, he looked down. He took a deep breath.

'I'm a-' Remus started.

'No!' Sirius yelled and clamped his hand over Remus' mouth. Remus yanked his hand away.

'Don't Sirius. It's my choice' he said calmly. Sirius looked at Remus and then nodded sitting back down.

'You don't have to Rem' Peter said. Remus smiled and nodded. The girls looked at each other questioningly.

'I'm a… I'm werewolf' Remus said quietly. Diana and Emma clamped their hands to their mouths, Rose looked petrified, Lily froze; Kas looked at Remus with a steady gaze. Kas stood up and gave Remus a hug, which surprised everyone.

'It's ok. You're still the same person to me' she said quietly, he smiled thankfully and returned the hug. James felt a pang of guilt as he remembered the Marauders reactions; they were trying to make up for it now by becoming Animagi. Kas returned to her place between Emma and Sirius. No one said anything for a moment then Diana spoke.

'Why didn't you tell us before Remus?' she asked, he shrugged and avoided her eyes. The girls smiled encouragingly at him. The game seemed to have ended.

'How about we try the bottle?' Emma suggested with a grin. Diana groaned but Sirius agreed before she could say anything.

'What does this include?' Peter asked.

'Well it includes truth and dare, but it also has a few others. We can just add double dare, triple dare, give a kiss though' Emma replied.

'No make out? Are you feeling ok?' Diana asked with a grin. Emma stuck out her tongue.

'Ok fine make out as well then' Emma said, the other girls groaned.

'James choose one and spin, the person it lands on gives you a dare, asks for a truth, or you have to kiss or make out with that person,' Emma explained.

'I'll go with truth' James said, he spun the bottle that Emma had found and it landed on Sirius.

'Oh god…' James muttered. Sirius grinned.

'Who out of the Florettes would you shag James?' Sirius asked. If looks could kill James would have killed his best friend. He muttered a reply.

'Didn't catch that' Sirius said.

'I said none of them because I value their friendship' James repeated.

'Aww you're no fun' Sirius said. He chose kiss and spun the bottle; to everyone's amusement it landed on Kas. Sirius went redder than Lily's hair.

'Should have taken my approach mate' James said whilst he cried tears of laughter.

'Why couldn't he have chosen make out?' Lily gasped, Kas shot her a death glare and Lily shut up. Sirius stood up and went over to Kas, she stood up and they faced each other. Everyone had gone quiet but everyone had grins on their face. Sirius leant down and Kas put her arms around his neck. When they met Lily, James, and Rose clapped and the others wolf-whistled. When they broke apart both were bright red.

'Truth' Kas said and spun the bottle, it landed on Lily.

'Is Sirius a good kisser?' Lily asked her. Kas nodded and the girls snorted.

'What the hell, make out' Lily said and span the bottle. To everyone else's amusement it landed on James.

'Has someone jinxed this bottle?' Lily asked, Emma tried to put on an innocent look.

'Emma Josephine Clemment what have you done to this bottle?' Lily asked her.

'Nothing' Emma answered in an innocent voice. Lily raised an eyebrow, 'So I put a spell on it to go to different people at school, shoot me!'

Lily rolled her eyes and made a mental note to find a new bottle and then went over to James. Kas was trying not to laugh as she took out her camera; she put her finger to her lips to tell the others not to say anything. When Lily and James started making out she took it out and took a total of five pictures of them; she grabbed the pictures and hid them. When Lily and James broke apart again the bottle was spun a few more times; by midnight everyone was laughing and making good natured comments about the previous dares and truths. It wasn't until 3am that they actually pulled sleeping bags around them and went to sleep.

_A/N: Hello well that's another chapter finished. Was it good? Bad? Funny? Stupid? I want your comments people! So please review and make me happy! I'm ill, make me happy people! I'll get started on the next chapter shall I? Anyway I'll update soon._

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx_


	14. Start of Her Troubles

**Chapter 13- Start Of Her Troubles**

The Hogwarts express was as inviting as ever as Lily carried her trunk and owl cage aboard, followed closely by Kas. The two girls had spent the entire summer with James and Sirius and the girls were sat in a compartment with Emma and Diana waiting for Rose to arrive. Their missing counter part arrived as the train started to pull out of the station; unfortunatly another loud bang, similar to the one from the train ride in 1st year, sounded. Dreading what she was going to find Lily stood up with Kas and the two walked out into the corridor. Unfortunatly a bucket of water had been perched on top of the compartment door and when she opened it Lily got drenched. She heard the laughter but it didn't register; Kas took a deep breath behind her and prepared for the blast of a Lily's temper that was sure to follow.

'JAMES POTTER!' she shrieked, Kas was surprised he could still have that goofy grin on his face as he faced Lily's fiery temper.

'Tiger… it was just a prank' Kas said quietly, hoping to calm her down.

'I DON'T CARE!' Lily shrieked, she rounded on James, wand out. James took out his wand lazily.

'Lily you really gonna try and duel me?' he said, Sirius stood by his side and eyed Lily's wand warily. He and Kas' eyes met and he saw she looked a little nervous.

'POTTER I COULD BEAT YOU IN A FIGHT AND YOU KNOW IT' Lily yelled, the crowd had stopped laughing in the wake of Lily's temper.

'Tiger calm down!' Kas said quietly, Lily could hear anger in her voice, she lowered her wand.

'I am calm, Wolf,' Lily replied, 'As calm as I can be around this immature prat!'

With that she turned on her heel and went back into the compartment, slamming the door shut. Kas sighed and looked at James and Sirius.

'I ain't going in there with her in that towering temper, knowing her she'll direct some of it at me for stopping her from hexing you into the next century' Kas said, a shadow of a grin on her face, 'Mind if I join you for a bit?'

'Sure, why not' Sirius said, the three of them returned to the Marauders compartment and she spent the rest of the journey talking and laughing with the Marauders. Once in the Great Hall she sat back with her friends and they enjoyed the feast as much as usual after the Sorting. After the notices had been given by Dumbledore the houses went their separate ways and returned to their common rooms. Kas managed to get the password off a prefect and they approached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

'Password?' she asked.

'Gumdrops' Kas said, the girls giggled slightly at the password and they went into the common room and sat by the fire.

'Where'd you go on the train Kas?' Diana asked.

'I went to the Marauders compartment' Kas answered, leaning back in her chair. Lily's face darkened and the others shared uncomfortable glances.

'The Marauders?' Lily asked darkly, Kas looked at her with a blank expression.

'Yeah, and I enjoyed the train journey as much as I would have done if I had been with you guys' Kas said, unbeknownst to her and Lily the Marauders had just come down the dormitory steps and were watching the girls; Diana, Rose, and Emma shared worried glances, Kas and Lily had the worst tempers of the group.

'You prefer them to your friends?' Lily asked, clearly she hadn't forgiven them for the prank earlier.

'I didn't say that' Kas said, 'I just said I enjoyed as much as I would have done with you guys.'

'You enjoyed spending time with immature, arrogant prats?' Lily asked voice dangerously low.

'As a matter of fact Lily I did enjoy spending time with people who are just the same as you or me!' Kas said voice equally low. Lily glared at her; Kas flipped.

'Can't you accept not everyone is as studious as you and that some people actually want to have fun?' Kas said loudly. Lily stood up, Kas copied her and the two girls faced each other.

'There's a line between having fun and being immature prats!' Lily snapped.

'You didn't seem to mind too much when you were friends with them and before the pranks turned on you' Kas replied. Lily took a step forward.

'I didn't actually, I just didn't want to say anything!' Lily yelled. Kas snorted.

'Whatever Lily, you keep telling yourself that' Kas said and turned to walk away.

'I don't believe you sometimes!' Lily yelled at Kas' back, 'You act like you're one of the Florettes and then you act like your one of the Marauders. Which one are you?'

Kas stopped and faced her. 'I'm the bridge between the two, Lily' she answered quietly, voice dangerous.

'Bridge between the two? Or do you just not belong to either?' Lily snapped. Kas' eyes flashed dangerously.

'No Lily I don't belong anywhere in this world. I belong with the pack!' Kas snapped. Lily snorted.

'With a bunch of wild animals?' she snapped, Lily regretted it as soon as she said it. Kas' face remained blank, she turned and walked out of the portrait. Lily turned and ran up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. The other girls stayed where they were.

'Should we?' Emma asked, Diana shook her head and the three girls were joined by the Marauders.

The next day Kas and Lily sat at opposite ends of the table, Rose stayed with Kas and Diana and Emma went to Lily; Rose joined the others when Kas told her she wanted to be alone. She pushed her bacon around her plate, glaring at it as if it was the cause of her problems. A large barn owl landed in front of her.

'What you doing here?' she asked it, voice low and calm; she wouldn't take her anger out on animals no matter how angry or hurt she was. The owl nipped her finger in a friendly way and held out its leg. Larkasia untied the letter and it flew off; frowning slightly she opened the letter and read:

'_Dear Miss Starsword,_

_We are aware that you have just started your new year at Hogwarts and wish to send you our best wishes for the remaining year. We have recently been informed that your guardian has come forward as would like you to return to him for the holidays; we are aware that you will not recognise him and so Mr Peters will meet you in Professor Dumbledore's office on the evening before the Christmas holidays begin. _

_We hope this letter reaches you in the best of health,_

_Yours truly,_

_Millicent Bagnold_

_Minister of Magic'_

Kas stared at the letter, she had a guardian? Since when did she have a guardian, and why hadn't he taken her in when her parents had been murdered? She folded up the letter and tried to eat her bacon, unfortunatly something kept nagging her and wouldn't leave her in peace. She sighed and pushed her plate of bacon and eggs away from her and put her head in her hands, resting her elbows on the table.

'Someone do something to your bacon?' a voice asked behind her, she turned and saw the Marauders standing behind her grinning; they sat down and started to eat their breakfast.

'Hey' Kas mumbled, she took a swift glance down to the other end of the table and saw Lily looking firmly away from her. Remus followed her gaze.

'You two not made up yet?' he asked, Kas shook her head.

'Who didn't hear us?' she asked herself, not realising she had said it aloud.

'I think the people in Japan didn't hear you two shouting,' James said with a grin, Kas looked down at the table and the letter resting on it.

'Thanks by the way' James said, Kas looked up at him.

'What for?' she asked.

'Sticking up for us' Sirius replied, the others nodded and she gave them a shadow of a smile.

'What's wrong?' Remus asked. Kas shook her head and looked down.

'Nothing' she muttered.

'Well that's obviously not true' Remus said, 'You and Lily had a fight and now your glaring down at a letter as if it's telling you your going to be locked in a cage for the rest of your life.'

Kas sighed, 'It does in a way.'

'What?' Sirius asked a forkful of eggs halfway to his mouth. Kas read out the letter and the Marauders all had looks of confusion on their faces.

'Why hasn't he come forward before?' Peter asked, Kas shrugged. A bell rung through the school and they picked up their bags.

'Do you wanna sit with us in lessons?' James offered Kas smiled and nodded; she put the letter safely in her pocket and walked to Defence Against the Dark Arts. The atmosphere was cheerful in the classroom as Professor Richardson had left the previous year after yet another year of being told how to kill any evil creature they might come across. Their new teacher wasn't in the classroom when the Marauders and Kas walked in; they took seats at the back and Kas cast a sad look at the front desks where the Florettes were sitting. The door opened and the class looked back to see a tall woman with black hair and bright blue eyes walking down between the tables towards the front of the desk; Sirius' jaw had dropped as soon as the woman walked in the room.

'Good morning class. Sirius close your mouth before you swallow a fly' the teacher said with a smirk at Sirius.

'Andy? Why didn't you tell me you were going to be teaching?' Sirius asked the Marauders looked like they were trying not to laugh; the rest of the class looked confused.

'You didn't tell me you weren't going home for the summer so I couldn't send you a letter could I? I couldn't ask my dear old aunt where you were without her attempting to blow the roof off the house either' the woman answered. Sirius shrugged.

'Fair enough'

James snorted and the woman turned back to the class.

'My name is Andromeda Black and I've taken some time out of my job as an Auror to teach you for this year. In case you're still wondering I am Sirius' cousin' she addressed the class.

'According to your old teacher's notes you have studied the basics of most dangerous creatures, and-'she stopped and frowned, 'you've gone into detail about werewolves?'

The class nodded, Andromeda frowned.

'What exactly have you been taught about werewolves?' she asked, most of the class raised their hands.

'Miss… Evans is it?' Andromeda said, checking her register.

'Yes Miss' Lily answered.

'What have you been taught about werewolves?'

'Professor Richardson told us they were all bloodthirsty creatures that would kill us even in their human form; he also taught us how to kill them with various silver instruments' Lily answered. Andromeda's face darkened.

'Then you've been taught all the wrong things' she said, Remus felt himself relax, Kas sent him a sympathetic smile, 'I'm going to start from the beginning and teach you the _non bias _version of what you have been told about werewolves.'

By the end of the lesson Remus couldn't be happier, even though it had all been about werewolves he felt better about his condition than he ever had done; Sirius' cousin had taught the class the facts about werewolves that were backed from the text book, she also hadn't brought out any silver objects or any pelts. The third years went to lunch and sat talking about their Defence lesson and the new teacher.

'We're gonna have to watch our step now with Andy as a teacher' Sirius said as he shovelled mash potato into his mouth. James snorted, he knew full well that Andromeda would be more likely to join the Death Eaters than punish them for pulling pranks; Sirius grinned.

'Ok, so maybe we don't, but we do have to be a little more careful. She'll know it's us' he said. Kas smiled slightly and shook her head, moving her steak and kidney pie around her plate with her fork. Remus was watching her.

'What's wrong?' he asked.

'Nothings wrong Remus I'm just saying that we've got to pull a prank soon to show Andy how the pranks are done here at Hogwarts' Sirius said. Remus rolled his eyes.

'Not you, you prat. I was talking to Kas.'

Kas shook her head and continued to play with her food; the Marauders were all looking at her.

'For God's sake what am I a side show?' she said, a little louder than she meant to.

'Some would say that, Starsword' a Slytherin said from the next table, a group of them laughed.

'Very funny, Macnair. But I suggest you keep your tongue between your teeth if you want to keep it the size and shape it is' she snapped back.

'Making threats are we?' he hissed.

'No, I'm merely stating a fact' Kas replied, turning in her seat to face the Slytherin sitting at the next table behind her.

'Ooh… we are making threats' he said with a laugh. Kas could hear her heart pounding in her head, her eyes were flashing dangerously.

'I don't think you know the meaning of the word threat' she said, the Marauders were looking at her with raised eyebrows; the only Slytherin that had got to her before was Snape, unfortunatly he was sitting next to Macnair.

'Left the wolves for a bunch of prats?' Snape said, 'Well you left the wild beasts for a group of freaks first didn't you, but now the freaks have deserted you so-'

Kas leapt from her seat and tackled Snape to the floor, her wand pointed at his face.

'Say that about my friends again and I swear you will have to have several months in the hospital wing to get your face back to normal' she hissed; in one quick movement Snape had taken out his wand and had it aimed at Kas' face.

'Sectumsempra!' he yelled, Kas was thrown backwards with a gash along her cheek.

'STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!' a voice called from across the room, Professor McGonagall came striding towards them, Andromeda at her heels. Kas and Snape stood up, both fuming; the Marauders had stood up too but McGonagall had intervened before they could do anything.

'Both of you come with me now!' McGonagall barked and the two students followed McGonagall and Andromeda out of the Great Hall; they followed them along a few corridors before McGonagall opened a door and the four of them went into her study.

'Sit' McGonagall said pointing to the two chairs in front of her desk, the two students obliged, 'explain.'

Snape spoke first, 'I was just sitting having my lunch, Professor when Starsword just leapt at me and tackled me to the floor, I fired a spell at her as a defensive move.'

Kas stood up, 'You filthy liar!' she spat.

'Sit down Miss Starsword' McGonagall said, 'Now what is your story.'

'I was talking with the Marau- sorry, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter and we were having a conversation when Macnair started to make comments from his table, I retorted and then Snape insulted my friends. Both the wolves and Lily, Rose, Emma, Diana, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter.'

'If I may make a suggestion Minerva' Andromeda said from the door, 'We could get Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew in and hear their side of the story. If theirs is the same as Miss Starsword's down to the last letter then we can be assured she is telling the truth.'

'Very well, Andromeda, if you can be so kind as to collect them' McGonagall said, Andromeda nodded and left the room. She walked along the corridors to the Dungeons and entered Slughorn's classroom.

'Ah, Andromeda what can I do for you?' Slughorn asked cheerfully.

'Sorry to disturb you Horace but Minerva would like to see Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew in her office immediately' Andromeda said, Slughorn nodded and the four boys followed her out of the classroom.

'Andy what's happening?' Sirius asked, Andromeda slowed down a little.

'Snape says that Larkasia attacked him for no good reason and Larkasia says that he was taunting her and insulting her friends. Personally I believe Larkasia, and I think McGonagall does too; but we have to hear your side of events before we can say anything' she answered. They entered McGonagall's office and the four Marauders sat down on the chairs that Andromeda had conjured.

'Can you explain what happened earlier at lunch today, please?' McGonagall asked, sounding quite tired. The Marauders launched into their story, Remus telling the bulk of it with James and Sirius making comments every so often like 'the slimy git' and 'good tackle, though'. By the end of it it looked like Andromeda was trying not to smile at the comments and McGonagall was getting annoyed with them.

'Thank you, you may wait outside or return to lessons' she told them, the Marauders walked out the door, Sirius gave Kas an encouraging smile; once outside the Marauders crowded around the door to try and listen to what was said, unfortunatly no sound could be heard.

'Bloody spells' Sirius muttered. After a minute or so Snape walked out looking furious; a minute or so after him Kas walked out, looking quite happy and the cut healed on her cheek.

'Well? What happened?' Sirius asked as soon as the door was closed. Kas smiled weakly.

'I've got detention tomorrow night with Filch and I lost ten points for fighting' she said, 'but Snape lost fifty and has a whole week of detention with Filch, unfortunatly we have the same detention tomorrow.'

'We'll probably have detention by tomorrow night, so don't worry about it; we can keep you company' James said with a grin. Kas smiled weakly back and they started back towards Potions.

The bell went at the end of the day and Kas wandered wearily up to her dorm to drop off her bag, when she opened the door she saw Lily sitting on Kas' bed.

'Hey' Lily said.

'Hi' Kas replied, she put her bag by the side of her bed and turned to go.

'Kas, I'm sorry' Lily said standing up. Kas turned to her and smiled.

'Me too Lils' Kas said. The two girls laughed and hugged each other; the other girls walked in and they went down to dinner together for the first time in what felt like ages.

_A/N: Hi, sorry I took a long time updating but I didn't really get a lot of inspiration. I have a little problem where I want to be at a point about two years away so I might take a while to update. Thanks to my reviewers. I would also like to say I am starting to write the Musical again, I just paused it for a bit because this story and that one were becoming very very similar and it was annoying me._

_I will try and update soon. Please review._

_xStarswordx_


	15. Christmas Break

**Chapter 14- Christmas Break**

The Florettes were back to normal, with the exception that one of their group, namely Kasia, was spending a little more time with the Marauders than the rest of them. Kas still hadn't told them about her guardian and she didn't really want to but knew she'd have to eventually; especially since she was going to meet him in a few days. One night the Florettes were sitting in the common room finishing their homework when the Marauders walked in, laughing and joking; Lily glared at them, Kas smiled and the rest of the girls grinned at each other behind their friends' backs. Lily and Kas had become two of the firmest friends in the group since their argument and Rose, Diana, and Emma were closer to each other than to the other two; this didn't stop them all being firm friends. The Marauders walked over and sat down around the table the Florettes were working at.

'Hey girls' Sirius said, jumping nimbly over the back of the sofa and landing between Kas and Diana.

'Hey Sirius' Kas muttered, scribbling something on her Potions essay. James had sat himself between Kas and Lily, much to the latter's disgust.

'Bugger off Potter' Lily snapped, Kas rolled her eyes and finished her essay. Diana yawned as she rolled up her Transfiguration essay.

'So what you guys doing for the holidays?' she asked; the rest of the Florettes were finishing off essays or questions and putting their homework back in their bags.

'I'm going to France to visit my grandparents' Rose answered, 'What you two doing?'

'Staying at home what else?' Emma answered with a grin.

'Sirius is camping out at mine as per usual' James said, Sirius grinned at him.

'James, mate, you know you're my saviour don't you?' Sirius said. James laughed.

'I'm going to Germany to visit my Dad's family' Peter said quietly.

'What about you Remus?' Lily asked.

'Staying at home, don't really have much of a choice' he replied quietly, the rest of the Marauders sent him sympathetic looks.

'Where you going Lily?' James asked, trying to have a civil conversation.

'Staying at home with my stuck up older sister and my parents' Lily replied, she turned to Kas.

'Are you staying here or going back to the forest Kas?' she asked. The Marauders looked at her.

'You haven't-'Sirius started.

'I'm not doing either' Kas replied quietly. The Florettes looked at her.

'What? Where are you going?'

'What's happened?'

'Guys calm down I'm not going to the centre of the earth, neither am I going to go somewhere where I'm going to have a stalker who wants to kill me' Kas said with a grin, she had anticipated this.

'Where are you going?' Lily asked, still the calmest of the girls.

'I got a letter a few weeks ago on the first day of term; it said my guardian's come forward and want me to spend Christmas with him' she muttered.

'That's great isn't it?' Diana asked, Kas shrugged.

'Why didn't he come forward before though? Why has he come forward now?' Kas looked at Rose who had just spoken, she looked a little worried.

'My thoughts exactly. He probably thought I'd been killed too. No surprise really.'

The group became silent; Kas never talked about her family or her old house. Diana stood up and stretched.

'Well I'm off to bed, anyone else coming?' she asked.

'Well if you're offering to go to bed with you…' Sirius started, he stopped when Kas whacked him over the head.

'Get your mind out of the gutter Sirius' Lily said and the girls bade them goodnight and they climbed the stairs.

'So…' Remus said, trying to break the silence.

'Anyone coming to the dorm?' Peter asked, standing up and heading to the boys' staircase. The Marauders followed him and soon the whole of Gryffindor Tower was fast asleep as well.

& & & & & & & & & &

Two days later the Florettes were sat in the Great Hall getting ready to go home the next day.

'Make sure you send us lots of letters' Diana told Kas, 'we want to hear all about him.'

Lily nodded, 'If we go through this break without a single word from you I will personally come over there and make you write me a letter.'

The Florettes laughed; five minutes later Professor McGonagall came up to them.

'Miss Starsword will you follow me please; Mr Harstone is waiting for you in the Headmaster's office.'

Kas smiled and nodded, she said a goodbye to her friends and followed the Professor to the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

'Sugar Quill' Professor McGonagall said and the gargoyle sprang open. Kas followed her up the stairs and through the door. It was the first time she had been in Dumbledore's office and she fell in love with it immediately. It was everything an office should be, in her opinion. A room full of bookcases and strange instruments, not to mention the beautiful phoenix that was perched by the door; she stroked it's head fondly and then turned to look at the man who was sat in front of Dumbledore's desk. He was a tall man with dark hair and eyes; if Kas hadn't known Sirius to be the prankster he was she would have said she was looking at an older Sirius who had gone over to his family's ways. The man seemed to have a superior air about him and Kas felt as if she was confronting another Headmaster who wasn't as kind as Dumbledore but was as great as him.

'Larkasia?' the man asked; he had a deep, almost threatening voice.

'Yes sir' she replied quietly, McGonagall was stood slightly behind her. Kas suddenly felt very frightened of this tall man, she looked past him at Dumbledore who smiled encouragingly at her.

'You don't have any shortened version of your name?' the man asked again.

'No sir, my name is just Larkasia' she replied.

'Come and sit down' Dumbledore told her, she obeyed and sat in the chair next to her guardian's; her guardian resumed his seat and McGonagall stood behind Kasia.

'Miss Starsword this is your guardian Mr Harstone. He says he has been out of the country and so had not heard of your parents' deaths until he returned a few months ago. He has since purchased a house and has been trying to find you' Dumbledore said, the twinkle in his eyes was almost gone when he looked at Mr Harstone and this worried Kas. She remained silent.

'Please go and fetch your things Larkasia and then we can leave as quickly as possible. I left the house unattended and there are still some things to unpack and your room to get sorted' her guardian said, not in a very friendly manner either. Kas rose obediently; her parents had always told her to obey adults when she was little, she knew that they had meant to be selective and now understood all of the 'good breeding' they had hammered into her. She left the office obediently and walked quickly to Gryffindor Tower; she was already packed but she didn't want to leave Hogwarts just yet. Instead she turned when she reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and walked to the kitchens. When she walked in through the portrait she was so caught up in her own thoughts she walked straight into something very solid and this caused both her and the object to go crashing to the floor.

'Uhh…' the object said, Kas stood up and realised she'd walked straight into Sirius.

'Sorry' she muttered and turned to leave again, she felt someone grab her arm.

'Aren't you leaving tonight?' Remus asked. Kas nodded and ran out of the portrait. The Marauders raised their eyebrows at each other and followed at a slower pace to Gryffindor Tower.

Kas arrived in her dorm and the girls looked at her.

'You ok Kas?' Lily asked; Kas smiled and nodded, she grabbed her trunk.

'See you after the holiday's guys' she called, giving them all a hug before she made her way down the stairs. Once back in the common room, she almost ran into Sirius again.

'Bye' she muttered to the Marauders and made her way out of the portrait.

'Ok, something is really wrong' Sirius said to no one in particular. The Marauders nodded, Sirius ran out after Kas.

'Sirius don't!' James yelled, 'oh never mind' he added after the portrait swung shut.

'You know I have a funny feeling that Sirius is head over heels with a certain girl' Remus said with a grin. James snorted.

'You think? God I thought you were the smart one' he said. Remus shoved him playfully and the three boys went up to the dorm to wait for Sirius to get back.

'Kas!' Sirius yelled. She stopped and looked at him.

'Hey Sirius' she said. They continued to Dumbledore's office in silence; the only sound came from the wheels on Kas' trunk on the stone floor.

'You ok?' Sirius asked, Kas nodded.

'I just… I don't want to go' Kas said, Sirius looked at her.

'It'll be ok. Just owl us if you need any help, even if it's just someone to talk to' he told her. She smiled thankfully and they turned the corner to see Mr Harstone standing outside the gargoyle with Dumbledore and McGonagall.

'Is that him?' Sirius asked quietly, Kas nodded and looked down at the floor. Sirius took in Mr Harstone' appearance; he didn't like the looks of him, he reminded Sirius too much of his own family.

'Remember to owl if you need any help' he told her quietly, she nodded and they stopped in front of the three adults.

'Well Minerva, it looks as if Miss Starsword will be ok. Mr Black can see her and Mr Harstone off for us. I'm sorry to cut this meeting short but we must get to a meeting Mr Harstone. I'm sure we shall meet again' Dumbledore said.

'Of course, Dumbledore I understand. We shall, defiantly meet again' Mr Harstone said very formally. Dumbledore and McGonagall walked away towards the staff room.

'Who is this Larkasia?' Harstone asked Kas. Kas held his gaze reluctantly; spending time among wolves that would hardly ever make eye contact made her uncomfortable making eye contact with people she didn't trust.

'This is my friend Sirius Black. Sirius this is my guardian Mr Harstone' Kas said looking away.

'Black did you say? From the Noble House of Black?' Harstone asked, looking Sirius up and down. Kas saw Sirius stiffen.

'Yes sir' he said.

'Hmm… well Larkasia we had better be going, we have a long way to travel and my car is waiting for us at the gates. It was nice meeting you Black I hope we shall meet again' Harstone said. Kas looked at him warily, but followed obediently.

'Bye Sirius' she muttered before following her guardian's retreating back. Sirius watched her go sadly, wishing he could do something to help her.

& & & & & & &

Lily woke up on Christmas morning feeling happy for the first time during the holiday. She hadn't heard from Kas yet and was starting to worry about her friend; _she's probably having a really good time and doing loads of stuff and doesn't have time to write_, Lily thought to herself. She stretched and went down to the living room and saw her parents sitting on the chairs with Petunia sat cross-legged under the window.

'Lily! We thought you'd never wake up!' Mrs Evans said, Lily smiled at her mother and sat in front of the fire place. The family started to unwrap their presents. Lily's parents had given her some new clothes and a new book called 'White Fang'; she had wanted to read it for a long time. She knew Kas would love it too. Petunia had given her a notebook, Lily suspected her parents had forced her to give Lily a present; Emma and Diana had teamed up and given her a new makeup set and a top with a tiger printed on the front, Lily had to stifle a laugh at the top as they had obviously gotten the idea from her nickname and totem. Rose had given her a Charms book, and Kas had managed to send her a ring with the carvings L.E+ E.C+ D.C+ R.L+ L.S FF engraved on the inside and an engraving of what looked like a lot of entwined lilies on the outside, she also received a charm bracelet from her. The Marauders had teamed together and sent her a box full of different chocolates. Lily smiled happily at her presents and wondered where her friends were.

& & & & & & & & &

Kas sat in the dusty living room, her guardian was still upstairs; he had gotten drunk last night and was still lying asleep in his room. Kas had snuck downstairs and had stolen some food from the pantry and taken it up to her room in the attic; she had come back downstairs to get her presents. She collected her gifts and started back up the stairs, pausing outside her guardian's room to check he was still asleep. She heard him snoring and continued up the ladder to the attic, she closed the trapdoor and opened the curtains. Light flooded the small room and she sat on the floor by the food she had managed to get from the pantry, she was looking forward to another day of cooking and cleaning. She wasn't get a lot of sleep, not only was she trying to do bits of her homework every night she was also trying to get all her chores done. She had found as soon as she had stepped inside this house she had been right not to trust her guardian. She had been forbidden to tell any adults about anything that went on in the house, if her guardian found out she had told he had promised to hunt down the pack and kill them. It was the fear for the pack that had made her do his bidding; that and the hope of seeing her friends again. He usually got drunk at night and had hit her a few times; but those few times had been enough to give her multiple cuts and bruises, even one of two scars. She'd have to heal herself when she got on the train before anyone saw her injuries, it would only lead to unwanted questions. She sighed and started to eat her breakfast as quickly as she could; then she turned to her pile of presents; she hadn't been able to send anyone any letters, she wondered what they thought had happened to her. She felt tears prick the back of her eyes and mentally slapped herself for being so weak. She had to be strong; there was no one else here for her to turn to, she had to be strong for herself and for the wolves. If she was too weak and told someone they would be killed, she knew that Harstone hadn't been joking when he had told her that. She brushed away the tears that had started to fall and turned to her presents. She picked up the one from Lily; she smiled slightly as she unwrapped it.

'Wow Lils' she whispered, Lily had given her a small shoulder bag with an interesting sequin pattern over the front, it looked like a flower surrounded by a lot of leaves and stems. She smiled and put the bag down; her old bag had ripped during the summer when she had been in the forest. She hastily put the wrapping paper into a bag and put the bag under her bed; she didn't want her guardian to catch her with her presents. She didn't know what he'd do but she knew it wouldn't be good whatever he did. Diana and Emma had given her a new scarf, hat and gloves; Rose had given her a book on non magical creatures with beautiful pictures of each animal. She smiled and hid her presents when she heard movement downstairs; she took the presents she still hadn't unwrapped and put them in her one lockable draw and put the presents from the Florettes in her trunk. Then she heard his voice from downstairs.

'Larkasia get down here and get me that hangover potion!' Harstone bellowed Kas sighed and climbed down the ladder; she ran to the kitchen and took out the potion she had set out the night before and took it up to his room. When she entered she fought the urge to throw up and walked over to the bed; she handed him the potion that he drank in two mouthfuls.

'Now get me breakfast and make sure this room is clean by the end of the morning' he growled. Kas left silently, the room was filled with empty bottles and there was even some vomit on the carpet. It would take her a long time to clean it all up.

That night Kas sat on her bed with her unwrapped presents; she had about three new cuts on her arms and the beginnings of a black eye. She sighed and opened the first one. It was from Peter, he'd sent her a load of chocolate, and she smiled as took a bite out of one of the bars and put the others to the side. Next was Remus' present; he'd sent her a muggle fiction book called 'The Sight' she smiled when she saw it was about wolves, he'd also sent her a spare bit of parchment; she frowned and saw a note in the wrapping.

'_I've enchanted the paper so you can talk to me or any of the Marauders when you want to. Handy little trick for during lessons, we made a spare one in case we lost one but we decided you might need it more than us for the holidays._

_Merry Christmas._

_Remus'_

Kas smiled and took out a quill and ink pot. She was about to write on the parchment when she thought she better finish opening her presents before in case Harstone came up; at least she'd have the excuse of homework if she was just writing on a piece of parchment, though he had never come up to her room before she wouldn't put it past him when he was in a drunken state. James had sent her a small ornament of four wolves gathered around a log; one was lying on the log, one was stood on a branch to the side, one was sat on the ground underneath it and the last was lying beside the log. She smiled and felt tears come to her eyes; _Stop crying there's no point in crying it'll get you nowhere. It got you nowhere when your parents died or when Mrs Alem died and it won't help now._ She looked at the last one from Sirius. She opened it and found small chain with a blue stone hanging off the end that was shaped like a drop. She smiled and put it on before cleaning away any evidence of presents; then she took the parchment and sat at her desk below her window. She lit a candle and took out her quill and ink pot. Then she wrote a short sentence.

'_Hi guys. If your there say something I don't know who this is being sent to. How are you all?'_

She waited and her heart skipped a beat when she saw a reply.

'_Hey Kas, how you faring?'_

_A/N: Hehe cliff hanger. Ok not really a very good one but oh well. Very dark surrounding Kas at the moment isn't it? All will become clear in time. I was going to continue but I thought better of it because otherwise it was going to be way too long for one chapter. Not going to tell you who sent that message till the next chapter which is going to be a lot of guessing on the Marauders part. Anyway I've got to do reviewers thank you's for two chapters. So for chapter 13:_

_**Meforyou: **Thank you for reviewing. Hope your enjoying the read!_

_**Oceanis: **Thank you! I most probably will be having more truth or dare scenes so if you want anything in particular to happen just email me and ask. Lol. I love your story btw. Keep posting it's really good!_

_**Reth: **Ok this is going to be for both reviews. Yes I was a bit obsessed wasn't I? Lol. Come on it was a bit funny though wasn't it? Oh wait I forgot this is you we're talking about so you'll just find it scary ;) lol. Please don't kill me I do want to be in one piece when we get back to school. Yes Kas, Sirius and James are all on the team and yes there will be a Quidditch match at some point just give me a minute, lol. Thanks for the reviews! See you at school!_

_Thanks again to all my reviewers &throws cookies for all the reviewers& I will try and post another chapter soon. _

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx_


	16. I Can't Tell You

_A/N: I'm just saying this before I put this up on the story: the guardian is not intentionally like the guardian in 'A Series Of Unfortunate Events' I do see where people are coming from and I don't blame anyone. I just thought I should clear that up before anyone else says it. Now on with the story:_

**Chapter 15- I Can't Tell You**

'_Hey Kas how you faring?'_

Kas looked at the parchment and scribbled a note.

(_A/N: for this note bit K is Kas, S is Sirius, J is James and P is Peter)_

_K: Sirius is that you?_

_S: No it's your evil stalker come to kill you. Yeah it's me. You ok?_

_J: Hey Kas!_

_K: Is everyone writing or something?_

_R: Well me and Sirius are at James' so you could say that; I dunno if Pete's writing._

_P: Yeah I'm here._

_J: So yeah everyone is writing._

_K: So is this what you guys do in class when you're supposed to be taking notes?_

_J: No, Remus takes notes and we write on these._

_S: You're evading the question. Are you ok?_

_K: So when did you make these?_

_S: Kas…_

_K: Ok ok! I'm as fine as I can be. _

_R: What's that supposed to mean? _

_K: Nothing._

_S: Ok that was written a little too quickly._

_K: Just drop it ok?_

Kas sat and waited for a reply, it seemed to take a long time to come. After a few minutes she heard movement downstairs.

_K: I gotta go he's coming up. How do I clear this?_

_R: Just turn it over and it'll disappear._

_K: I'll talk to you when he's gone. Bye_

_S: Kas-_

But Kas had turned it over and was stuffing the parchment into her trouser pocket. She heard a pounding on the trapdoor.

'Larkasia open this door!' Harstone bellowed. Kas made her way slowly to the trapdoor and opened it; her guardian came into her room and slapped her round the face with the back of his hand.

'Why aren't your chores done?' he snarled. Kas remained still; she wouldn't let him get to her.

'I did finish them sir' she replied quietly blood was starting to trickle from her lip.

'You haven't made the dinner. Now get down that ladder and make it!' he grabbed her by the back of her shirt and shoved her through the hole. She fell and landed on her back at the bottom; she coughed and slowly got up, winded from the fall. When she saw Harstone coming down the ladder she ran to the kitchen and got out one of the meat pies she had made a few nights ago and put it the oven to warm it up. She was putting the vegetables into the boiling water when her guardian came in.

'Your not to go to your room until the dinner is cooked. Now get me a beer' he snarled. She ran to the fridge and pulled out a beer can and handed it to him. Within the next half an hour Harstone was sat at the table eating the dinner and Kas was running back up to her room. She closed the trapdoor and slid the bolt across and went to her desk and took out the parchment.

_K: Hello? Anyone?_

She waited for a few minutes then wrote again.

_K: GET YOUR ARSES ON A CHAIR AND WRITE TO ME!_

There was still no answer. Tears started to form in her eyes.

_K: Anyone? Please…_

A tear fell onto the paper. She brushed them away impatiently and saw a message appear.

_R: Kas? What's wrong?_

_K: Remus? Jesus Christ I thought this wasn't working for a moment._

_S: Why are you crying and why is there blood falling onto the parchment?_

Kas looked at Sirius' message shocked for a few minutes.

_R: Anything that falls onto the parchment is sent as part of the message._

_S: What the hell's happened?_

_J: Kas?_

_K: Don't tell anyone. Please don't tell anyone. I can't lose them._

_J: Who?_

_K: The wolves._

_S: Kas what the hell is happening in that house?_

_K: I can't say. He'll kill them. He told me if the teachers or Dumbledore or the Ministry finds out he'll kill the wolves. I can't let that happen._

_R: What the hell is happening?_

_J: Kas? Tell us, please._

_K: I can't god dammit I can't!_

_S: Kas please._

Kas could hear the desperation in his voice. A few more tears fell onto the parchment.

_K: I can't tell you. I'm sorry _

_J: Kas-_

_K: I'm sorry_

And with that she turned the parchment over, she saw it start to glow and looked at it.

_S: Kas what's happening._

_K: Stop asking I can't tell you. I'm sorry. If I do you'll most probably be killed as well._

_S: I don't care!_

_K: I do!_

With that she turned the parchment over and locked it in her drawer. She brushed away the fresh tears that were falling and made her way downstairs, she had to clear the table and wash up; her guardian had also most probably spilt something on the floor so she'd have to scrub that too. When she entered the kitchen she saw the dirty plates on the table and the empty beer cans, he'd been drinking at dinner again; she didn't know how he'd managed to be so sober when he came to collect her at Hogwarts. She sighed and cleared the table putting the dishes into a tub and turning on the hot water tap, she wet a rag and washed the table, looking at the floor she saw it was relatively clean and breathed a sigh of relief, she wasn't going to be here all night then. She went back to the tub and was about to start washing the dishes when she heard it. She froze and listened to the rising and falling notes of the group; tears formed in her eyes as she heard the wolves calling for the pack. For her. She could distinguish the calls even in her human form she had heard them so many times; her heart wanted to return the call, her soul wanted to run to them, but her mind kept her silent at the tub. She washed the dinner plates whilst she listened to the song. It stopped when she had finished her chores. She ran upstairs, tears streaming down her face and threw herself onto her bed and cried into her pillow. She missed them, she missed them all. She missed Hogwarts, she missed her classes, she missed the teachers, she missed Dumbledore, and she missed the students. She missed the wolves, she missed her friends, heck she even missed the taunts thrown at her and Florettes by the Slytherins. She was so exhausted she fell asleep soon after.

& & & & & & & & &

A few weeks later and the Marauders were sat in their compartment waiting for the train to pull out of the station; they were all laughing on the outside but on the inside they were worried. The train started to move and the four boys fell silent.

'Did any of you see her?' Remus asked; they all knew who he was referring to. The other boys shook their heads. Just then the compartment door opened and four girls stepped in, all dressed in their school robes.

'Have you guys seen Kas?' Lily asked; she was surprised to see the Marauders looking so depressed, usually they were happy and laughing on the train, or causing trouble. They shook their heads and the girls exchanged worried glances.

'You don't think she missed the train do you?' Rose asked worriedly.

'Miss the train? She's never missed the train before, she's always here early' Diana said, worry lined her face too.

'You don't think something bad happened do you? I mean none of us have heard from her all break' Lily asked, tears were starting to prick the back of her eyes. Emma shook her head.

'She'll be fine. She's a survivor. Anyway she's got the wolves to go to if anything happened, right?' Emma said, looking at the Marauders who were all looking at the ground.

'What do you guys know that we don't?' Diana asked warily. Sirius sighed and looked out of the window.

'You're scaring me know. What's happened?' Rose asked quickly. James and Remus exchanged worried glances over Sirius and then James nodded.

'Do you think we should tell them?' Peter asked.

'Tell us what?' Lily asked, 'TELL US WHAT?'

Remus sighed and took out a piece of parchment, he tapped it with his wand and muttered something and soon words were being formed.

'We sent Kas one over the break and we managed to talk to her twice. This is what was said,' he said, handing Lily the parchment. The Florettes gathered round it and read it, Lily's hands were shaking and her face was white when she looked up.

'Did you try and talk to her afterwards?' she asked in a small voice. James nodded.

'A few times, but she never answered' he said grimly. Lily sat down heavily on the seat next to James. He put his arm around her and, too everyone's surprise, didn't pull away.

'She'll be fine' he said suddenly after a few minutes silence, 'Like Emma said she's a survivor. She's survived worse before; she can do it again. Anyway we don't even know what's been happening.'

The others nodded and the other girls sat down; the group remained silent for a while. Sirius stood up suddenly and almost ran out of the compartment; James made to follow him but Remus shook his head.

'Leave him, James. It may be best if we leave him be,' he said, James nodded grimly and sat back down next to Lily who put her head on his shoulder, a tear forming in one of her green eyes.

Kas looked back at the mirror and saw her now bruise and cut free face looking back at her. She sighed and pointed her wand at her hands and arms then at her legs; she didn't need to hide many of her injuries on her torso, they were covered by her robes. She had come into the bathroom as quickly as she could after stowing her trunk in a usually empty compartment, and then as soon as the train had started moving and she was sure she could use magic again she had performed a few concealment charms on her small cuts and bruises and used some healing charms she had looked up in her room on the others. She put her wand back in her pocket and made her way to her luggage; she took it out of the empty compartment and went to the compartment that was usually taken by the Florettes. When she arrived she saw their luggage on the rack but found it empty of her friends. Frowning, she stored her luggage and started to make her way to the Marauders compartment. As she walked she began to think about the Christmas break and her guardian that she walked straight into someone. She was thrown back against the side of the corridor and the person she had walked into staggered backwards.

'Sorry' she muttered, not looking up and made to walk past them when a hand grabbed her wrist.

'Kas?' she heard a voice say. She turned around and looked at the person she had into. It was Sirius. Without realising what she was doing she walked forward and threw her arms around him as tears started to leak from her eyes.

'Come on, let's get into a compartment' he said softly. They went back to the Florettes compartment and Sirius brought Kas into a bone-crushing hug.

'Thank god you're ok' he said into her hair as tears leaked from her eyes into his robes. Kas stiffened and drew back wiping her eyes and looked at him.

'I'm fine' she said, Sirius looked at her and noticed that her eyes didn't have the spark they had had before she went away for Christmas, they looked dead and she was pale.

'You look like you died' he commented. A ghost of a smile flickered across her face.

'I'm fine, just a little tired' she said. Sirius sighed, he knew that she wasn't going to say what happened to her. They stood up and walked back to the Marauders compartment. When they opened the door four people screamed simultaneously and Kas felt herself be taken into the compartment and be squashed under numerous bodies as the girls tried to hug her at the same time. She smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

'Hey guys' she said quietly.

'What the hell happened? Why the hell didn't you contact us? And where the hell have you been?' Lily asked, sounding very much like an angry mother. Emma gave Kas a hand and helped the girl to her feet as the five girls had landed on the floor as they tried to hug Kas at the same time.

'Nothing's happened, I didn't contact you because I didn't have enough time and my guardian doesn't have an owl and neither do I, and I was late getting on the train and was waiting in the compartment for you before I decided to try and find you' Kas answered quietly.

'Bull shit' Lily said. The girls looked at her surprised.

'Lily are you feeling alright? Aren't you the one who tells us not to swear?' Rose asked.

'Oh shut up Rose. That was a load of shit that just came out of Kas' mouth and I don't give a damn about language right now' Lily answered. Kas sighed and sat down between the window and Sirius as the other girls returned to their original places. She stared out of the window for a minute before answering.

'Don't worry about me I'll be fine' she said.

'Don't worry? DON'T WORRY? DO YOU KNOW HOW BLOODY WORIED WE'VE BEEN?' Lily exploded. Kas looked her straight in the eye and Lily couldn't believe it was her friend sitting in the compartment with them; it was just a shell of the girl she knew.

'Lily when I tell you don't worry I mean don't ask questions and don't worry about my safety and health I'll be fine in the end' and with that she turned back to the scenery.

The compartment was silent for a while before the sweet trolley came by, the occupants paid for some sweets and then sat down to eat them; they started to talk about their Christmas'. Kas stared firmly out of the window.

Lily had been right. The girl sitting in the compartment with them was just the shell of the girl known as Larkasia Starsword; inside Kas' spirit was failing. Her freedom had been taken from her and it was her freedom that had kept her alive and kept her surviving. Ever since she had heard the wolves' calling she knew she couldn't be free as long as she was under the supervision of her guardian. Her will to live was fading. On the inside she was slowly dieing.

_A/N: Ok maybe that was little melodramatic but you get the idea. She's not going to become suicidal don't worry. She'll be ok in a week or two, promise. She has her freedom at Hogwarts so she'll recover. Thank you to my reviewers you're all brilliant I love you guys+throws out cookies for all reviewers+ Now for personal thank you's:_

_**Pippinwitch: **Hey Pip! Thanks for the review. Yes I know I'm being evil to Kas, and yes I have got a damned good reason for this: IT'S A PLOT LINE lol. The plot line does go on and become a little more interesting and odd and spazzed up but hey that's me! Stop being so god damned picky just because you don't like my wording! Lol. I haven't said why they're called the Florettes yet, it will come out eventually lol. See you at school!_

_**GinevraTheJediElf: **Hey thanks for the review! It may seem like a series of unfortunate events cross over but it's not really. Just seems a little similar. It's gonna be quite a dark story line so yeah it's a little similar but its not intentional cross. Thanks for the review!_

_**Reth: **Hi Bouncy! Yes the guardian is unpleasant he's supposed to be, it's a plot line lol. Everyone keeps saying that he's a bit like the guardian in a series of unfortunate events he is not intentionally similar. Actually thinking about it I'm gonna but something at the top to say he isn't like him… might be a good idea. You weren't supposed to guess his character from first impression I was trying to make a little twist and it wasn't very good lol. I granted your wish and put in a scene with a little evilness in it. There is going to be a very evil scene with him in at some point. I say no more. Keep up the writing!_

_**Hpfreak: **Hey, thanks for the review! Yes you guessed right it was Sirius who sent the message. Yes they are in third year. Sorry I was a little vague on that wasn't I? Sorry._

_Thanks again to all my reviewers. I'll try and update soon!_

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx_


	17. Quidditch And An Idea

_A/N: Hello, Sorry I haven't updated in a while but I've been really busy and I haven't sat on my computer chair for two days now. I will try and update faster. Here's another chapter for all my amazing reviewers and readers. Hope you enjoy it!_

**Chapter 16- Quidditch and a New Idea**

The next week passed uneventfully; Kas was distant with everyone until the Quidditch match two weeks after the Christmas break, it was Gryffindor vs. Slytherin and James, Sirius, Remus, and Kas were all on the team. They were sat in the prep room waiting for their captain, a seventh year who was a Chaser along with Sirius and James; Kas was a beater along with a fourth year boy called Michael, Remus was the Keeper, and the Seeker was a sixth year girl named Kathy. The team sat in the prep room listening to Mark Andrews' pre-match talk, they were in a stupor until the end when they grabbed their brooms.

'Let's go guys' Mark said and they walked out onto the field amid the roaring of the crowd. They stopped in the middle of the pitch.

'And here's the Gryffindor team; Captain Andrews, Potter, Black, Peterson, Starsword, Lupin, and Edwards!' the commentator yelled into the microphone. Kas did a double take when she heard the commentator, she smiled when she realised it was Diana sat up there in the commentators box with Professor McGonagall sat next to her.

'And the Slytherin team; Captain Nott, Malfoy, Black (the words in brackets are only for the reader's benefit so you know which Black is which, this is Narcissa), Crabbe, Goyle, Black (Regulus), and Black (Bellatrix)!'

'Captains, shake hands!' Mrs Filler said, it looked like the two captains were trying to break each others fingers. Mrs Filler blew her whistle and the teams rose into the air. James grabbed the Quaffle, saw Sirius to his right and threw the Quaffle to him.

'Potter passes to Black, who flies down the field, Black shoots. HE SCORES! Gryffindor lead 10-0 to Slytherin.'

Regulus Black threw the Quaffle from his place at the hoops to Malfoy and the game resumed. After 15 minutes of intensive play the score was Gryffindor 60- 30 Slytherin. Remus was performing at his best and this was why Crabbe aimed the Bludger at him. Kas, who was tagging any Bludgers aimed by Crabbe while Michael tagged the ones aimed by Goyle, saw the Bludger fly towards Remus, who hadn't noticed it yet. Without thinking she brought her bat to her side, lay along the length of her broom and shot like a dart towards Remus; she kept her eyes fixed on the Bludger. Remus saw her as she flew past his left side and heard the dull _thud_ as the Bludger made contact with her stomach.

'Starsword has been hit by a Bludger aimed for Lupin!' Diana yelled, the two teams and the crowd looked over and saw Kas clutching her stomach on her broom, 'Andrews' is asking for time out, but Starsword's shaking her head. Play resumes. Malfoy passes to Nott-'

Kas was blocking out the pain, at least her Christmas break had been good for one thing, she could block out most of the pain she experienced now. Sirius intercepted the Quaffle and passed to Mark.

'Andrews passes to Potter, he shoots… ahhh… saved by Keeper Regulus Black. Passed to Nott, who dodges a Bludger-'

Kas looked over the team as her head swam slightly; true she had endured a lot of pain over the holidays but she had forgotten how hard a Bludger can hit. Everything seemed unreal to her at the moment, as though she was in a dream. She flew around and soon tagged a Bludger that Crabbe had just hit; she took out her bat and hit the Bludger towards Malfoy; it hit him on the small of his back and he dropped the Quaffle into Mark's waiting hands. It was now 30 minutes into the game and neither Kathy Edwards nor Bellatrix Black had seen the snitch. Kas turned around and saw a Bludger flying towards her face; she swung her bat and it went pelting towards Bellatrix. She watched as Goyle hit it towards Sirius, who was flying towards the goal hoops with the Quaffle tucked firmly under his arm and hadn't noticed the Bludger flying towards him. She dived again, hoping to intercept the Bludger with her bat this time and not her stomach. She swung her bat and the Bludger went spinning off course; she sighed with relief, pulled up, and turned to see Sirius score another goal amid cheers from the crowd. She smiled just before she felt the other Bludger make contact with the back of her head. She gasped as stars danced across her vision; she faintly heard a whistle blown and someone take hold of her arm and guide her to the ground. They touched down and led her to the sidelines.

'Kas, you ok? Can you still see?' it was Mark speaking, Kas shook her head slightly cursing herself at her own weakness, she had to be strong; she couldn't show weakness… not to him, not her guardian. She shook herself mentally, she wasn't at her guardian's house anymore, she was at Hogwarts. She was safe. She took a deep breath.

'I'm fine, honestly. I just saw stars for a few minutes' she answered.

'That was one hell of a whack you got' the person holding her commented. It was Mike, her fellow beater. She found herself trying to see a particular head amongst the team but stars were still dotted around her vision and she was trying her best to stand upright.

'Look I'm fine. If this is the only reason for pausing then let's get back on our brooms and get back to the game' Kas said impatiently.

'We're not getting back to the game until we're sure you're not going to fall off you're broom. In case you didn't notice you were hit in the head by a Bludger,' Mark said. Kas sighed and raised her hands in defeat.

'Look, Lily'll be here soon and if my educated guess is correct she'll have my wand with her.'

Someone pushed past Mark and stood in front of Kas with her hands on her hips looking very much like an annoyed mother.

'You know what I'm going to say don't you?' Lily asked her.

'The same thing you always say to me before and after every Quidditch match I play and, as always, I'll just block you out and started day dreaming' Kas replied. Lily smiled impishly.

'You're not going to tell me what you day dream about are you?' Lily asked, grinning still. Kas rolled her eyes.

'Do you have the goddamn wand or not?' she asked impatiently. Lily shook her head in defeat and handed Kas her wand. With a quick flick a few well chosen words she had healed the place where she had been hit and the stars stopped dancing across her vision.

'Cheers Tiger' Kas said.

'You're in for it later, Wolf. The other's are having fits' Lily replied and pushed past James to get back to the stands. Mark sighed in resignation.

'If you're sure you're not going to fall from about fifty feet you can play' Mark sighed.

'WHAT?' James and Sirius exploded at the same time.

'Sirius, James I'm fine' Kas said, getting really annoyed that everyone thought she was as fragile as a china doll. Mark still looked a little unconvinced beside them.

'Do you want to win this game or not? If you don't let me play we're one player down. Please, just trust me on this.'

Everyone except Mark and Kathy looked unconvinced. Kas was starting to get angry, her eyes were flashing.

'Look if I can fall down a ladder and whack my head, get up and cook a full meal I can get hit with a Bludger and play a game of Quidditch!' Kas was getting close to yelling now. She saw Sirius' eyes narrow.

'When did you do that?' he asked. Kas cursed silently and looked away.

'Over Christmas, I tripped on a ring in this ladder that I always get caught on and fell.'

Mark sighed but nodded. James and Remus looked about ready to kill Mark for letting her play and Sirius was watching her carefully; Kas smiled gratefully at Mark and nodded. Mrs Filler walked over to the team.

'Ready to continue?' she asked Mark. Mark looked at Sirius, James and Remus mutinous faces, Kathy and Mike's worried ones and Kas' determined one and sighed.

'Yes' he said. Mrs Filler walked off to tell the Slytherins they were starting again. Mark, Kathy and Mike took off; Kas mounted her broom when Remus grabbed her arm.

'Thanks for earlier' he said, she smiled and nodded. She took off, shortly followed by Remus, James and Sirius. The game started again; after another 30 minutes the snitch was sighted and Bellatrix and Kathy dived after it. A well aimed Bludger from Mike sent Bellatrix off course letting Kathy catch a win of 360-110 for Gryffindor. The team landed and threw themselves on each other in a group hug, laughing and cheering. Soon red and gold clad supporters were running onto the pitch. After 20 minutes the team finally managed to get into the changing room; they stayed in the briefing room and congratulated each other whilst jumping and laughing; the team started to hug each other again. Kas and Mike hugged each other briefly and then pulled away to arms length.

'You were really brave taking those Bludgers for your friends today' he whispered, he leant down and kissed her cheek. She smiled and looked away, Mike had a bit of a reputation as a player and she didn't want to get emotionally hurt any more than she was already whilst she was staying with her guardian. She saw Sirius walking over and saw Mike glaring at him. The two boys seemed to glare at each other for a few seconds before Mike walked off with a last smile at Kas.

'You ok?' Sirius asked her as he pulled her into a hug. Kas smiled.

'Never better' she replied. Sirius opened his mouth to say something when Mark told them to get changed and up to the Gryffindor Common room for the celebration party.

'If you're worried about me, don't be' Kas told Sirius quietly as she started to walk away, 'I can look after myself'

Half an hour later saw the team in the common room celebrating their victory. A group of people (coughMarauderscough) had enlarged a Slytherin banner and charmed the snake to shout phrases such as 'Slytherin are stupid slimy gits', 'Gryffindor beats us every day' and other phrases with a bit more profanity than was needed; until some prefect managed to eliminate some of them. Soon a lot of large Gryffindor banners with roaring lions on them had been put up and the Slytherin banner was ceremoniously burnt by Sirius and James; Remus just smiled and shook his head.

'Why did they burn something that they'd spent ages charming?' Kas asked, coming up with two glasses of punch, she handed one to Remus.

'They're officially insane' Remus said, Kas laughed.

'Too true' she said. Mike walked over as the music started and people started to dance in the middle of the common room.

'Wanna dance?' he asked. Kas smiled but shook her head.

'I don't dance very often, I don't really enjoy it much' she answered. She saw Lily and Rose walking over.

'Please?' he asked.

'I think she said no' Lily said, staring at Mike with her green eyes, he shrugged and walked off. Lily and Rose dragged Kas over to the twins. The five girls sat in a group and talked, laughing, about the match; Kas was reminded of the time when they chose their group name about a year ago.

Flashback

The girls sat in a corner finishing their homework; the Marauders walked in laughing and talking loudly. Lily glared at them as they sat down and took out their work or in Sirius and James' case didn't.

'We need a name' Rose said thoughtfully. Everyone looked at her with raised eyebrows.

'What do you mean?' Emma asked Rose; Rose closed her book.

'Well the Marauders have a group name, right? But everyone sees us as 'The Marauders girls'. So why don't we get our own group name, then people will see us as… I dunno… 'The Florettes' or something' Rose explained. Emma and Diana nodded thoughtfully, Kas sat back looking out the window, and Lily stared in front of her thinking.

'Kas?' Emma asked suddenly.

'Yeah?'

'What's your middle name?'

Everyone looked at Emma as if she was mad.

'Why?' Kas asked.

'Well you see Rose and Lily have names of flowers, right? And my middle name is Lavender, and Diana's middle name is Poppy. So if your middle name is something to do with a plant then we could be called 'The Florettes'' Emma explained. Kas smiled.

'My middle name's Belladonna. It's a type of plant. So yes we could actually call ourselves the Florettes' Kas said.

'Everyone agreed?' Diana asked. Lily and Rose nodded.

'We are, as of now, known as 'The Florettes'' Diana said, sounding like a herald in a palace. Lily, Kas and Rose all burst out laughing as Emma clapped her twin round the head and the two started a 'pen fight' (for those of you who don't know what a pen fight is it's where you try and draw on your opponents arm with a pen. Great fun to play in lessons except they'd be playing a weird version of it with quills).

'Oi! You lot wanna keep it down over there some of us are trying to work!' Sirius yelled.

'Sirius the only work you do is making a list of all the eligible girls in school and making sure you get to snog most of them before the week is out!' Kas yelled back.

'She's got you there, mate' James laughed and Sirius shoved him playfully.

End of Flashback

Lily yawned and stretched.

'God I'm tired. That was some game today, I think I lost my voice towards the end of it' she said. Kas smiled and Rose laughed.

'You think you lost your voice; you weren't commentating' Diana said, Lily laughed and Emma shoved her sister playfully.

'I'm going out for a walk, get some fresh air' Kas said standing up and walking out of the portrait hole. The girls watched her go.

'Do you think she's going for a run like she used to? She hasn't been for ages and you know how she loves to go running as a wolf' Emma said. Lily shook her head.

'She hasn't done that for a while and she's different since she came back after the Christmas holidays. I don't think her hearts in the transformations anymore. She needs something to _make _her transform. Give her… oh how do you put it?... a push I guess' Lily said. At that moment James was walking past them. He stopped suddenly and looked at Lily, and opened his mouth to say something. He seemed to think twice about it and walked off quickly to grab Sirius off the dance floor, much to his protest and took him over to a corner of the room.

'What was _that_ all about?' Rose asked. Lily shook her head, but she thought that whatever had happened would have something to do with what she had just said,

'It's worth a try. Even if it doesn't work at least we didn't let it drop and say nothing' James said quietly.

'What if Remus doesn't agree to it, though? You know he's a safety freak when it comes to this sort of thing' Sirius said, equally quiet. James looked thoughtful.

'Look the closest we've come to a full Animagi transformation is a little bit of hair on both of us and Pete's not even got that far yet. If Kas could keep Remus company as a wolf it might help him whilst we try and manage these transformations' James said. Sirius nodded.

'Let's put the idea past him and see what he says. I just hope he agrees.'

The two boys went in search of Remus, they took him over to the stairwell that led up to the boys' dormitories and quickly whispered their idea to him. He frowned and shook his head when he was done, as Peter walked over. Sirius explained the plan to him as James confronted Remus.

'Look, Remus, we can't keep you company yet. We've not become Animagi yet and we might be stuck for a while yet. Kas is your only hope of some sanity and company whilst we try and figure these transformations out, and by the sounds of it she needs your help too. Look if she says no we'll drop it and never bring it up again, ok?' James said.

Remus considered for a moment and then sighed.

'Ok fine. But only if she agrees to it and if I can see her change before I transform in a weeks time' Remus muttered back. James smiled at him and the four Marauders quietly sneaked out of the portrait hole; closely followed by a shadow from the fireplace.

Kas was standing by the lake looking across the glassy surface. She sighed and picked up a pebble, she skimmed it across the lake and watched it sink away into the darkness. She wanted to run into the forest and experience all the scents and sights again. She blinked back tears as she thought of it. She heard a twig snap behind her and spun around; the four Marauders were standing behind her, she could have sworn she saw something dart behind a tree but dismissed it when James confronted her.

'Kas, we're here to ask a favour from you' he said, 'Well it's more of a favour for Remus but… oh never mind. You know you can transform into animals right? Well do you think maybe you could transform at the full moons and keep Remus company as a wolf or something? We're working on a way to keep him company ourselves but until then would you mind doing it for us?'

Kas didn't even try to stop the tears from falling; she turned away so they wouldn't see them.

'I can't' she whispered.

'If you're worried about safety we can have one of us outside if you want' Peter said, one of the few smart things he ever said.

'It's not that. I'd love to, I really would but… I can't.'

Sirius walked over and spun her round.

'What happened over the Christmas break? If I'm not mistaken something happened and now you can't change, you've lost contact with the wolves and you're blocking out physical pain. You didn't fall down that ladder did you? Kas tell us the truth, we can help' he said, looking her straight in the eye. Kas looked away and wrenched herself out of his grasp.

'I can't' she said, Sirius opened his mouth to say something else but she turned and ran. She didn't want to be near anyone at the moment, she didn't want to have to look at anyone. She just wanted to run. She stopped by some bushes and sat down on the other side. She peered round to see if the Marauders were following; they weren't. Some Slytherins had obviously snuck up behind them when they had been talking and now the Marauders were in a full scale duel with about half of the 3rd year Slytherins; she also saw another Gryffindor with them, a Gryffindor girl with red hair. Realisation hit Kas, Lily had hidden behind that tree and now she had been dragged into the duel. She saw Bellatrix aim a spell at Lily that Lily ducked; it soared over her missing her by inches. Rage that Kas had hardly ever experienced before filled her, along with it came a strange longing; that at least she could identify. After spending a lot of time with wolves she couldn't look people in the eyes for a long time unless she really trusted or hated them, she also had the duty to protect the pack: family and friends. The longing to fulfil that duty stirred in her and with it came an odd sensation. It started in her stomach and started to bubble its way up to her throat, as it came it spread through her veins to every part of her body. Warmth filled her and she felt the odd sensation she always felt whenever this happened. Freedom was stirring in her again; the freedom she had once known and that had been taken from her this last Christmas break was now filling her as the wolf instincts she had developed also filled her. She didn't think; she didn't need to. She sprang forward on her four paws; jaw and body more powerful than it had been a few seconds ago. Her senses were trained for the hunt. The cry she had felt as a human sprang from her throat as she bounded over a slight rise in the ground and landed, fur bristling and hackles raised. If anyone had been expecting a full grown white she-wolf to leap over the mound they certainly didn't show it. The duel seemed to pause momentarily; Lily was the only one there who seemed to realise it was Kas. Lily smiled at the wolf and she and Kas locked gazes for a few seconds, the wolf nodded and leapt like lightening towards Bellatrix. The Slytherin screamed and ducked as the wolf soared over her and cuffed her round the back of the head; turning in the air and landing back on all four paws Kas turned back to the Slytherins; now she stood between the two groups of people. Kas could smell the fear on them and growled, showing her teeth. The Slytherins backed up and started to run towards the school; inside Kas knew that one or two of them might guess it had been her, but they couldn't prove anything. Kas felt two arms wrap around her neck and turned her head to look at Lily. She felt the change coming before she had time to think and in a second she was kneeling on the ground hugging her best friend; tears spilled down her cheeks.

'You did it' Lily whispered. For the first time since her parents had died Kas let herself cry. Someone knelt down behind her and rubbed her back; she felt Lily pull back slightly and someone else came and sat in her place. Kas hung onto them as if her life depended on it.

'It's ok' they whispered. It was Sirius. Sirius looked up at Remus who was slowly rubbing Kas' back; he wasn't the specialist on emotions like his friend. Remus nodded and smiled. After a few minutes Kas' sobbing seemed to fade and she pulled back, wiping her eyes. She turned to the Marauders.

'I'll do it' she said, voice steady, 'I'll be there on Tuesday.'

_A/N: I am sooo sorry about the time this has taken to write. The next chapter will be about the full moon and probably some other stuff as well. I hope you liked this chapter; I actually have a mostly free night tonight so I'm going to try and write (or at least start writing) the next chapter. Thank you for reading you're all brilliant._

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx _


	18. Full Moon Duet

_A/N: Well here it is Chapter 17! Hope you like it!_

**Chapter 17- Full Moon Duet**

The weekend came and went; Remus was feeling nervous about the full moon, a lot more than normal. He couldn't shake off the nagging voice that was saying everything that could go wrong: he could hurt Kas, he could be really violent, and would she be able to control him by herself? James watched his friend on Tuesday night trying to do his homework; he was really edgy and he couldn't concentrate.

'Remus, calm down. Kas'll be fine' James said. As if on cue the Florettes walked in and came and sat down with the Marauders; Rose yawned and took out her books.

'So what's on the agenda for tonight? Any pranks being pulled? No late night wanderings? No disruption?' she asked. The Marauders silently shook their heads; truthfully, they were all nervous. Diana frowned.

'What's wrong? You're acting as if someone's died' she asked. Kas and Lily looked at each other and then at the Marauders. Kas stood up and stretched, as she brought her hands back down she let a small piece of paper fall undetected onto Remus' lap.

'I'm gonna go get my cloak and go for a run tonight' she told them, she stood up and made her way to the girls' staircase and disappeared. Since the previous week Kas had been a lot more active and had more will to live now. Remus unfolded the piece of paper and read the note:

'_Remus,_

_Where do you go to transform and how do I get there? I'll go early so I can meet you there. Put this back in the library book by the way so I can take it out without anyone noticing. _

_See you tonight_

_Kasia'_

Remus took out his quill and wrote a short note underneath hers.

'_Kas,_

_Shrieking Shack. There's a tunnel underneath the Whomping Willow, press a knot at the trunk of the tree and it freezes. Wait upstairs so McGonagall or the nurse won't see you. BE CAREFUL; IF I GET TOO VIOLENT GET OUT! _

_See you later,_

_Remus'_

Remus tucked the note back into her library book as she came back down the stairs. She picked up the book, telling her friends she was dropping it off before going out and then left via the portrait. After about ten minutes Professor McGonagall appeared through the portrait hole.

'Come along Mr Lupin, it's time to see your mother again' she said, the excuse had been thought up at the beginning of Remus' first year. Remus stood up and followed the Professor out of the common room after saying a 'goodbye' to his friends and the Florettes. He followed her along the now familiar route down to the Whomping Willow, when they got there they were met by the nurse, Mrs Kwelan, and they led him along the passage to the Shack. Once there they left him in one of the downstairs rooms and, with a last piteous glance, left him alone. He sat there for a few minutes, waiting for something to happen. The sun had just vanished behind some hills, the moon would be out soon. Then he heard it, a creak from upstairs and the sound of someone coming down the stairs, he turned around and saw Kas standing in the doorway; she was wearing a sleeveless top and a pair of old trousers and a cloak. It was still cold and she was shivering.

'Well, no offence Rem, but the decor needs a little work doing to it' she said with a grin. Remus laughed despite himself.

'Hi Kas' he said. She walked over and sat on the floor, crossed legged in front of him.

'I can tell you're dying to ask a load of questions so ask already' she said, a grin playing on her pale face.

'Ok fine. A) Is there anyway you think you'll be able to control me when I'm the werewolf easily or do you think it'll be hard? B) Why are you wearing old clothes that are making you cold? And c) tell me about the wolf.'

Kas was startled by the last question, she hadn't expected it. She took a deep breath.

'Well if I can establish myself as the alpha wolf then we probably won't have a lot of trouble after that. I'm wearing these clothes because they are comfortable to change in, and the last question is going to take a while to answer.'

'We've got about ten minutes or so before I change, what better way to kill it than by learning about the thing I change into' Remus said, Kas couldn't help but marvel at his want of knowledge about the thing he must really hate.

'Well the wolf usually lives in a pack; they are fiercely loyal and will fight off most things if anything threatens the pups or the pack. The wolf knows when to fight and when to flee, though, it's not stupid. The pack works as a team but as one being, if that makes any sense. They are governed by an alpha pair and they are usually the only ones who breed, though some other pairs in the pack may breed too. The pups are considered the most important part of the pack and there is usually at least one adult with them at all times. The wolf can run for days without stopping and can hunt and travel for longer.

'The way a pack communicates is by the calls you associate with the wolf. They have different songs for calling to other wolves, calling for the pack to re-group, the hunt song, the song for pups, and a load others as well.'

Kas smiled at the look on Remus' face. He had to admit it he was impressed, he didn't think there was so much to the wolf and yet it seemed that she hadn't even told him a lot about the wolf.

'You should change now' he said, 'I want to make sure you've changed before I start transforming.'

Kas nodded, he was still worried about safety. She closed her eyes and concentrated; she felt the warmth that came with the fur coat of the wolf and soon the white she-wolf was lying where Kas had been sitting a few seconds before. Remus saw the moon rising and he turned to the wolf suddenly.

'If I get too dangerous get out. Promise me Kas' he said quickly. The wolf looked at him for a few seconds then nodded; she couldn't refuse after the desperation she had heard in his voice and the fear she could smell on him now. He smiled and seemed to relax slightly. Kas stood up and backed away slightly as she saw his body go rigid; her hackles rose when she heard the scream of pain that came from his mouth as the moonlight touched his skin. She slunk backwards to the back of the room and watched him, he was silhouetted against the moonlit window and he was bent over, his head in his hands. He looked at Kas and she saw his pupils change to that of the wolf; but she also saw the madness in them and recognised it: it was the madness that sometimes took the lone wolves that roamed looking desperately for a pack. She saw his face lengthen and his muzzle appeared, fur was sprouting over his body and he was shaking. His limbs were lengthening and his teeth were becoming razor sharp. Kas watched, caught by the sight in front of her as another scream of pain shook from the form. A tail sprouted from the base of his spine and his body started to bend; ears lengthened and claws formed. With a last scream of pain Remus disappeared for the night and the werewolf let out a howl. The loneliness, pain and terror in the howl made Kas whimper. Suddenly the werewolf swung round to look at her; it was pure black and was a little larger than her, with yellow eyes that glowed in the darkness. The werewolf snarled and bristled, it leapt at her and Kas leapt aside, recovering her senses a split second before the werewolf slammed into her. She spun and faced him, snarling. The werewolf looked at her again and leapt, jaws opened wide. Kas ducked down and then reached up with her own muzzle, snapping at the underbelly of the werewolf. The werewolf yelped with pain and landed heavily; Kas turned, snarling and faced it; she stood as tall as she could and looked down at the werewolf, taking the stance of the alpha. Unfortunately, the werewolf didn't seem to want to cooperate that easily. It leapt at her and Kas leapt to meet him, the air was full with the sound of snarling wolves; fur, teeth, and claws circled each other and snapped in the air. Eyes blazed with the status of the alpha, but there would only be one winner and Kas has more experience as a fighter, though the werewolf had more aggression. Finally the victor seized its opening, white fought black and soon one's jaws were wrapped around the other's ear; the sign of victory for the alpha. The black shape whimpered and Kas stood up, the werewolf looked at her and then bowed its head in submission, accepting the fact that the white she-wolf was its alpha and leader. Kas was panting heavily and blood was falling from various cuts on her sides. The werewolf was still lying on its side and for a moment she thought she saw the part of it that was Remus in its eyes but then it blinked and the wolf was back, loneliness and pain in its eyes, but underneath it Kas thought she could see a flicker of hope stirring in the bright orbs. The familiar stirrings of the pack woke in her belly and she threw back her muzzle and howled a long low note, the call of the pack. The werewolf lifted its head and looked at her, confusion and part recognition in its eyes. Kas stopped the howl and looked into its eyes. It lifted its head and howled itself, the same note she had just howled. Then together they took up the call, for the first time in three years there wasn't a single wolf howling its sadness to the night. Now there were two wolves singing a song of the pack to the night.

The two wolves lay side by side, the werewolf was asleep but Kas was still awake; she couldn't let her guard down now that the end of the night was drawing to a close. She looked out of the window and saw the moon sinking below the horizon, the night was almost over. She felt the werewolf shudder next to her and she stood up; she didn't want to be in the way when he was transforming back into Remus, she could hurt him. She backed up into a corner and watched as the werewolf's body shook, she watched as the process she had watched earlier ran again in reverse order. Finally the screams of pain subsided and Remus lay on his side, a few cuts covered his body. Kas changed back into her human form and picked him up, placing him on the couch and making sure he was comfortable and then pushed back a bit of hair that had fallen across his face. She sighed and then turned back into the white wolf she had been most of the night. Quietly, as silent as a shadow, she padded out of the room and through a door into the tunnel. Once there she leapt along it until she reached the end underneath the Whomping Willow. She scrambled out and then leapt clear of the branches. She stood on a slight hilltop and looked across towards Hogsmeade, the wolf she was at that moment let out a howl, a call for the pack member she had just left. Then she turned and disappeared into the undergrowth.

When Mrs Kwelan went to collect Remus from the Shack she was surprised to see so little injuries on him. She took him up to the hospital wing and she patched up his cuts. He woke up an hour later and she let him go after he had drunken a Strengthening Potion. He walked back to the Gryffindor Tower and entered the common room to see James, Sirius, Peter, Lily, Diana, Emma, and Rose sitting by the fire. They turned round when he walked in, he would have smiled at them if it wasn't for the fact that one person was missing.

'Where's Kas?' he asked. The others looked confused.

'We thought she was coming back with you' Diana said, Remus suddenly felt fear rushing through him.

'She isn't back yet?' he asked.

'Remus what's wrong? She was with you all night wasn't she?' Lily asked; Remus had gone pale.

'I never remember what happens when I'm the wolf. I can't remember anything. Oh god...no I couldn't have. She promised to get out if I was violent.'

He turned to Lily.

'Where would she go?' he asked, panic in his voice. Lily suddenly seemed to catch on; she had frozen.

'The wolves or the lake. Oh god she isn't... she promised to get out. She wouldn't have backed out on her word. She would have gotten out' Lily said. She stood up and grabbed Remus' hand.

'Come on' she said.

'Wait. We're all coming' James said, standing up. The others followed and soon they were all standing outside the portrait.

'Ok, here's what we'll do' James said, 'Remus; you, me and Lily will check outside by the lake. Sirius and Peter can take the left side and Diana, Rose and Emma can take the right. We'll meet back here in an hour.'

The others nodded and set off, leaving James, Lily and Remus standing outside the portrait hole.

'We better get going' James said, he started to walk towards the front doors and Lily and Remus followed.

They walked out into the cool morning air and Lily headed straight for the lake, she and Kas would usually go there if they wanted to be alone, they each had a certain spot on the shore where they would go. Luckily, Lily was Kas' best friend and so knew where she usually went around the shore. She broke into a run and arrived at the lake side; she paused and looked around for any sign of her. James and Remus appeared at her side.

'She isn't here' James said quietly, looking around. Lily looked down, she felt as if she'd let her friend down. Then she saw it, a clear paw print in the soil; she smiled and looked ahead of her. She started to run again, running towards a few bushes that, if you crawled in far enough and knew where to crawl in, formed a cave like space in the middle. She threw herself down on her knees in front of the bushes and pushed aside a few branches and found the tunnel. At that moment a yelp of greeting reached her ears and a white blur leapt out of the bushes and pinned Lily down. Lily glared daggers at the wolf.

'Larkasia Starsword! We've been worried sick and you've been here hiding in you're bloody bush! I've got half a mind to hex you!' Lily yelled. The wolf grinned at Lily and a few seconds later Kas was stood beside Lily helping her up.

'Lily, in case you'd forgotten I did tell you I was going for a run' Kas said.

'You did not-'

'Lily, I called. I did tell you. It's not my fault if you forgot the call or if you didn't hear it' Kas said calmly. Lily blushed.

'That was you telling us you were running wasn't it?' Lily asked sheepishly. Kas laughed and nodded.

'Did you really expect me to be back before breakfast?' Kas asked, Lily couldn't help it, she grinned too. The two boys arrived; Remus was breathing heavily, he was still a little weak from the previous night. When he did see Kas though he literally exploded.

'What the hell are you playing at?' he yelled; Lily actually jumped back a little at the harsh tone Remus was using, James actually looked scared.

'I thought I'd killed you!' he roared. Kas looked perfectly calm but there was a deadened look in her eyes, it was the deadened look that got Remus' anger under control. He'd only seen that look after the Christmas holidays. Slowly the pieces were starting to be put together.

'Wouldn't have the nurse have told you someone was killed?' Kas asked evenly, Remus took a few deep breaths.

'I don't know. No ones been killed before' he muttered. Kas held his gaze.

'The wolf will never turn on its alpha' she said simply. Remus looked at her in shock. Has she done it? Had she mastered the werewolf?

'You… alpha… you won?' he stuttered. Kas smiled and nodded.

'We better get back to the common room and find the others' James said, Lily nodded; then she saw her friend's arm.

'And clean you're cuts' Lily said simply. The Florettes were too used to the cuts and bruises Kas had got during her runs to notice too much; it was the scar on the top of her arm that caught Lily's eye. She stopped and grabbed Kas' arm, looking along it and saw another scar just above her elbow.

'Where'd these come from?' Lily asked her, 'the cuts you got from runs never scarred. Where did they come from?'

Something that looked like fear spread across Kas' eyes. She pulled her arm back and started walking towards the school again. James and Remus barred her path; suddenly James reached into his pocket.

'Bloody hell Sirius, I forgot I had this in my pocket. Yell next time will you?' James said into the small mirror he had just pulled from his trouser pocket. Sirius' handsome face filled the mirror; it looked like Peter was standing behind him.

'Will do, mate. Any luck? We've found the girls and they haven't seen her either' Sirius' voice came from the mirror.

'Yeah we just found her' James said, he looked up and realised Kas had disappeared.

'She just disappeared again…'

'WHAT? Jesus James can't you keep hold of someone?' Sirius said. James glared at the mirror.

'Oh shut up Sirius, come find her yourself' he said, slightly irritated. Sirius looked guilty.

'Sorry mate' he said; James shook his head.

'Me too, Sirius. We found her by the lake so we know she's outside' James said.

'We'll be out there in two minutes' Sirius said and his face disappeared from the mirror. Remus looked at James and smiled slightly; Lily was looking over to the other side of the lake where Kas had just disappeared as a wolf.

'She's hiding something' she muttered to herself.

'It's got something to do with her Christmas break' James said, Remus nodded and sighed. The three students sat down and soon they saw their friends coming over. Diana reached them first.

'We just saw McGonagall; we told her Kas had been upset last night and had gone for a walk and hadn't come back yet. We asked if we could spend the day looking for her. She said it's fine' Diana said as she reached them. Lily nodded and stood up with James and Remus as the others joined them.

'She'll have gone into the forest' Rose said quietly looking at the forest with fear in her eyes; the other girls and Peter stiffened slightly.

'We'll just have to follow her then' Emma said, her voice somewhat strained.

'She's a wolf she can travel faster than us' Diana said. The girls looked at the Marauders; surely they would know what to do. Peter looked at Sirius, Sirius looked at him, nodded, and then at James; James nodded and then looked at Remus, Remus looked at his three friends, he sighed and looked at the forest then nodded. The Marauders looked at each other and smiled.

'This'll be our best adventure yet' Sirius said with a grin; the others grinned and looked at the girls.

'Coming with us?' Remus asked. They were standing in two groups facing each other now; the Marauders and the Florettes. The girls looked at each other. Lily sighed and looked at where her friend had disappeared. She nodded and went to stand next to James. Emma snorted but covered it with a cough; the twins looked at each other. The other Florettes thought they had the ability to read each other's minds. The smiled at each other and looked at Rose. The three girls nodded and walked up to the Marauders. Together the eight students walked quickly around the lake and disappeared into the forest, skirting the edge until they found the path that led into the forest.

_A/N: Hello! Finished it. I wasn't originally going to have it end like this but it's given me and idea for the next chapter lol. The next chapter is going to be up A.S.A.P. I'm not going to do any replies to reviewers on here for this chapter at least. I might do it for following chapters but I'll reply to you're reviews instead. Thanks for reading, and if you are reading this can you review, just to say you are reading it so I know how many readers I have. _

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx _


	19. Adventures, Hunts and A New Friend

**Chapter 18- Adventures, Hunts, and a New Friend**

**Part 1**

The small group made their way along the dark path; the trees seemed to try to grab their robes as they walked along the dirt. The girls stayed close together as they walked deeper into the forest, Peter seemed a little edgy but Sirius, James and Remus seemed unfazed, it was probably the transformation of last night that made Remus so indifferent to the forest and it was just their egos that made Sirius and James indifferent to the forest. Finally they came to a fork in the path.

'We better split up' Sirius said.

'What? NO way, uh uh, no!' Emma said, she didn't like the forest as it was, without them splitting up. Diana nodded.

'It'll be ok. Look me and Peter can go with Emma, Diana, and Rose. Lily can go with James and Sirius and each group can have one of the mirrors' Remus said. They nodded but Lily looked a little annoyed that she was going to be walking around with Sirius and James. Sirius handed Remus his two-way mirror and he, James and Lily set off down the path that branched off to the right while the others went down the one to the left. Emma, Diana and Rose staying perhaps a little too close to Remus and Peter.

'Err… girls would you mind stepping back a bit, you keep tripping me and Pete up' Remus said. Diana blushed and the three girls let Remus and Peter go a few steps in front before following them again.

'So… anyone know what actually lives in here?' Emma asked, trying to get a conversation going to keep their minds off the forest.

'Centaurs, Unicorns, Thestrals, perhaps some lupine demons' Remus said, Emma paled at the mention of Thestrals and Lupine Demons. Diana looked at her twin.

'I think we better not talk about the forest and its inhabitants' she suggested. Rose suddenly stopped, an arrow had lodged itself in a tree right in front of her face; Remus and Peter looked around and saw a grey centaur coming out of the forest opposite where the arrow had lodged itself in the tree.

'Orion!' Remus greeted the centaur; it looked at Remus with dark brown eyes and held its hand up in greeting.

'Greetings young one. What are you doing in our forest?' it asked, the girls looked about ready to faint.

'Our friend ran in here. We're trying to find her' Peter explained, he liked the centaur. Orion nodded.

'I see. Would this be the one known as Star?' Orion asked; Remus frowned.

'We call her Kas; her full name's Larkasia Starsword' Remus explained. Orion nodded.

'Yes, we know of her. She used to come and see us. She stopped coming after your last winter break. Is she well?'

Remus shook his head, 'Something happened over the Christmas holiday and she won't tell us what. She was with me on my last full moon and we came looking for her. We found her by the lake but then Lily found a scar on her arm and asked her about it, she ran off and we think she's in here.'

Orion looked thoughtful; he looked over at the three girls who were huddled together looking very pale.

'Are these your mares?' Orion asked Peter snorted and tried to cover it with a cough; Remus smiled.

'No, Orion, these are our friends. Emma and Diana are the two twins and this is Rose. Girls this is Orion, he's part of the centaur heard that live in this forest and is a friend of ours' Remus explained. Orion held out his hand in greeting.

'I welcome you to our forest' he said, Rose took his hand timidly.

'Thank you sir' she said quietly, Emma and Diana nodded mutely behind her.

'You say Star has gone missing' Orion said, turning to Remus and Peter again, 'what form is she in?'

'Last we saw of her she was a white wolf' Peter said, Orion smiled and nodded.

'Come, I will help you search for her. The forest is not safe for you to be wandering in by yourselves. Where are your two friends?'

'James and Sirius are looking for her in here as well with another of our friends Lily' Remus explained, 'they took the other path at the fork. We have two way mirrors that we are using to communicate with.'

Orion nodded and looked back along the path.

'Come, the stars say danger is drawing close, and with it a revelation. Hopefully the signs will not also give us the warning of death.'

The girls, Remus, and Peter followed Orion down the pathway deeper into the forest. At one point brambles had grown over the path and Remus and Peter had flatly refused to get rid of them with magic saying it would be rude, the centaurs had allowed them to come in, they shouldn't harm the forest in any way. Orion took Emma and Diana through the brambles on his back and Remus and Peter levitated Rose across, then Orion came back and took them through on his back. Remus and Peter thanked him, explaining to the girls that if any of the other centaurs had seen him do that he would have been disgraced. They continued to thank him for a few minutes and he seemed a little taken aback by their politeness and ignorance of other races customs.

Sirius, James and Lily walked on in silence; Lily wasn't too happy about having to spend time alone with the two boys but she had to admit they seemed to know where they were going.

'Have you been in here before?' Lily asked, Sirius looked at her and grinned,

'A few times, mostly in the holidays when we had nothing else to do' he replied, Lily rolled her eyes, typical. She was stuck in the middle of a forest with two of the biggest prats in the school. She pushed the situation out of her mind and tried to think of an explanation for Kas' scars. The three stopped when they heard a bone chilling howl from somewhere in the forest; Lily took an unconscious step closer to the two boys.

'What was that?' she asked; Sirius and James were looking into the forest.

'Do you think they've got a scent?' Sirius asked James, James shrugged.

'Dunno. They seem to be quite far though. If we keep moving we should be ok; they might not even have a scent and if they do who says it's ours or the others? It could be a rabbit or something' he answered. Sirius nodded agreement.

'Will you two stop talking as if I'm not here and tell me what that was please?' Lily asked, getting a bit impatient and worried. James looked at her and she saw he was being serious.

'It could be some Lupine Demons' he said, Lily felt a chill run up her spine.

'Lupine-?'

'Demons? Yeah. Bad news if you get one of them on your trail, they won't stop hunting you. They're like werewolves except they're wolves 24 7' Sirius said. Lily paled slightly.

'Come on let's keep moving. We haven't got long before we have to be inside. We've already been in here two hours' James said. Sirius nodded and the two boys started to walk along the path again; Lily jogged to catch up to them and stayed closer behind them than she had been before. James shot Sirius a look and they grinned at each other.

Kas was now walking along the forest edge; she sighed and looked up at the sun, running a hand through her hair. How had she gotten into this mess? She stopped walking when she turned round a bend in the forest edge and came across another person. Snape was sitting on a rock reading a piece of parchment, it looked like a letter. He looked up and his eyes narrowed but she could tell there was something different about him.

'Sorry' she muttered and started to walk again; she stopped and turned to face him.

'Bad news?' she asked, he looked back up at her.

'What do you care?' he asked his tone harsh. She sighed.

'Just trying to help' she said. She started to walk again when his response stopped her.

'My father wrote to tell me my mother died' he said in a monotone. She looked back at him.

'I'm sorry' she said quietly. Snape looked at her and then put the letter into his pocket.

'It doesn't affect me much' he said, sounding truthful, 'she never had much time for me or my little sister.'

'I didn't know you had a sister' she said, he stood up.

'She won't be starting Hogwarts for another year yet' he answered stiffly. He turned to go.

'I'm willing to extend the hand of friendship if you are' she said, he turned to look at her.

'We've been enemies since first year. How do you plan to change it?' he asked. Kas shrugged.

'If you've read Hogwarts; A History, or know Lily in my case, you'll know Slytherin and Gryffindor were two of the greatest friends. Why continue the hate between the two houses if the founders were friends?' she asked. He studied her for a moment; she held out her hand. He looked at it and then shook it.

'Alright, Starsword. I'll put the past behind me if you will' he said, Kas smiled and nodded.

'What part of my past do you think I actually want to remember?' she asked, he shrugged.

'Since we're trying to be friends now I guess we should call each other by first names' he said after a few minutes silence. Kas nodded.

'Just call me Kas' she said. He nodded and they walked along the edge of the forest together; they talked about their past and Kas was surprised to find that Snape wasn't the greasy git that the Marauders thought he was, he could be as much of a laugh as they could. Then they heard a howl from the forest; Snape turned to Kas.

'Not one of the pack' Kas said, 'that's a Lupine Demon.'

'Caught a scent?' he asked.

'It sounds like it…' Kas trailed off. She suddenly realised she hadn't seen the Marauders or the Florettes go back into the castle. Were they looking for her in the forest? She looked down at the ring that she and all the Florettes had a copy off; if you pressed one of the initials their related flower on the outside would turn into a window to show where they were. It had taken Kas three years to work out how to do the charms but she had managed it. She pressed Rose' initials and the rose on the outside of the band showed Rose, Diana, Emma, Remus and Peter walking a long a path in the forest with a grey centaur that she recognised as Orion.

'I'm taking you back to the school before the Lupines catch your scent' Orion was telling them. The others nodded and they turned back along the path they'd come. Kas breathed a sigh of relief knowing that they, at least, were safe; Orion could fight off the Lupine Demons. She pressed Lily's initials and the lily on the band showed her James, Sirius and Lily walking along a path. Another howl sounded in the forest; she watched as James and Sirius exchanged worried glances.

'They're getting closer' James said, Sirius nodded and looked behind him.

'Think they're after us?' Sirius asked.

'Dunno. We better keep walking and head back to the castle ASAP' James said, she saw the look of fear sweep across Lily's face. Kas looked at their surroundings and tried to think where they could be; she made up her mind, her friends had tried to find her to make sure she wasn't in trouble so she'd have to do the same for them.

'They're after you're friends aren't they?' Snape asked her. Kas nodded and looked at him.

'Remus, Diana, Emma, Peter and Rose'll be coming out soon. Can you meet them and tell them I've gone after Lily, James and Sirius? Please, Severus?' Kas asked, Snape looked at her and nodded.

'Thanks, I owe you one' Kas said, smiling. Snape shook his head.

'No you don't. This is to say sorry for making you're life hell for the past three years. Sorry Kas' he said. Kas smiled at him.

'Me too' she said. She turned into a white she wolf and pawed at his leg before turning and disappearing down the path her friends had took. Snape watched her go and then sat down near the forest entrance to wait for some people he really didn't like. After about ten minutes he saw them coming closer and stood up; when they reached him the small group stood and faced him. Remus had his wand out just in case.

'I'm not looking for a fight, Lupin' Snape sneered, 'Ka- Starsword told me to tell you she's gone after Potter, Black and Evans.'

With that Snape turned on his heel and walked off, silently hoping that Kas would come out of the forest alive.

Kas ran down the path as if her paws weren't touching the ground; when she reached the fork where they had split up and scented the ground. She found Lily's scent on the right hand path and took off along it, every so often she would stop and scent the ground to make sure she was still on their trail and then she would take off again. She moved swiftly and silently along the path; once or twice she caught the scent of the Lupine Demons that lived in the forest and it gave her more speed. She had to find her friends.

Lily, James and Sirius had started to walk faster along the path, keeping an eye out for any paths they could take to head back to the castle; they didn't want to turn back in case they ran into the Lupines that they had guessed were tracking them.

'Can't we just summon brooms and fly out?' Sirius asked; Lily rolled her eyes.

'Sure Sirius, you just perform a charm we haven't even learnt yet to get a broom that all three of us can fly out on' Lily said. Sirius sighed; just then they heard the snapping of a twig. The three of them turned round and saw about three wolf like creatures standing on the path about 100 metres away, they had their noses to the ground and were obviously looking for a scent. Lily opened her mouth to scream but James covered it with his hand.

'Don't make a sound' he whispered, barely audible, 'Just start backing away quietly.'

The three of them started to walk slowly backwards, just then James' foot caught in a pot hole, Lily was only a step behind him and she walked straight into him causing the two of them to fall onto the ground, Sirius tripped over James' arm and hit the ground with a muffled 'ow'.

The wolf-like creatures had heard them and turned blood red eyes on them; one of them, presumably the leader, snarled showing yellow stained, razor sharp teeth. Lily saw that they were a little bigger than Kas when she was a wolf and they were all jet black; if Lily hadn't known what she did about a wolf's appearance from Kas she would have said that this was a pack of wolves with red eyes. The rest of the wolves (I'm calling them wolves because it's easier for now) fanned out behind the one that had snarled first and the group started to walk steadily towards them, as they walked wolves broke off from the line and circled through the trees ahead of the pack and started to form a ring around the three students. Lily, James, and Sirius stood up and tried to back away but found themselves hemmed in by the wolves.

'Get in a circle and get your wands out' Sirius said quickly. Lily stood facing a wall of snarling fur with blood red eyes; she felt a hand take her right hand and squeeze it reassuringly, she entwined her fingers with their and took a deep breath. She looked at James and smiled weakly, he smiled back and let go of her hand. The wolves had stopped snarling now and they stood as if they were an army waiting for their orders; the biggest wolf, and the one who had first sighted them, stood inside the circle and started to circle them. The other wolves stood back a little till they were standing in the actual forest. The leader bared his teeth and sprang at Sirius.

_A/N: Aren't I evil leaving you on a cliff hanger? Before you all start bashing me I felt like having a Gryffindor/Slytherin alliance and who better to have than Kas and Snape? I mean Kas is close to the Marauders and the Marauders hate Snape so it'll be funny lol. Please review even if it's only to tell me you're reading it. I'll have part 2 up ASAP._

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx _


	20. Hospital Awakening

**Chapter 19- Adventures, Hunts and A New Friend**

**Part 2**

Kas was running so fast she thought her heart would burst; the howls had stopped which could only mean one thing: the wolves had found their prey. She rounded a corner in the path and looked at a sight that made her insides freeze. Lily, James and Sirius were standing in a circle surrounded by the Lupine Demons and the alpha was circling them, she saw him prepare to spring and her heart sank.

Sirius watched as the wolf circled them, when it stopped in front of him he held up his wand ready to aim a spell but his mouth had gone dry and his throat had closed up from fear. The wolf sprang at him and he prepared himself for the pain that would come when the wolf sank its fangs into his arm. Sirius saw a blur of movement out of the corner of his eye and when he looked back at the wolf he saw it was fighting with another wolf. A white wolf.

Kas knocked into the wolf as it was half way through its spring and the two of them landed on the ground, Kas had the wind knocked out of her but regained her footing as she saw the Lupine stand up and turn, snarling, to face her. She stood her ground and bared her teeth at him; he was a whole head taller than her and more powerfully built, probably a better fighter too, she was tired after a sleepless night and a long run and she was injured from the previous nights fight; she was alone against a pack of about ten wolves. The odds were stacked high against her. The other wolf started to walk backwards and forwards in front of her, she stepped back so she was between him and her friends. He leapt at her and she rose to meet him; as she did two of the other wolves leapt in. She found herself fighting to get out from under the bodies; when the three wolves leapt away Kas staggered to her feet, having been knocked down by the force of their bodies.

The wound from her fight with the werewolf last night had been reopened and her muzzle was bleeding. She knew she was too weak to win this by force, she needed help and she needed a plan. Without thinking, just hoping she would be heard, she howled a call for help as the three wolves leapt in again; this time she leapt clear of the bodies and sank her teeth into the right hind leg of one of the wolves. Her opponent yelped with pain and turned to face her, snarling and managed to bite down on her front left leg. A sickening crack was heard and Kas howled in pain; the bite had broken her leg. She looked at her friends and saw them trying to stun the other wolves, who were dodging the spells expertly. As her attention was drawn in another direction the lead wolf had leapt at her and knocked her onto her side, she managed to twist her neck out of the way before he could clamp down on it but he got her shoulder instead; now she couldn't put any weight on her left front side, she was in big trouble.

She lay on her side, blood leaking out of her cuts onto the leaf litter; the lead wolf gave a yelp and the wolves returned to standing in the circle; three wolves had pinned Lily, James and Sirius to the floor and they were all watching their leader intently. Kas raised her head and looked at the wolf standing over her, as she bled her energy was leaking out too. She whimpered and let her head fall down to the floor; the wolf above her grinned, showing all his fangs that were even now dripping with her blood.

_I'm sorry _she thought sadly, resigning herself to the fact that she was now going to be killed as was the victors right in this type of fight. Kas felt a thudding beneath her body and she looked down the path as Orion came into view with about five centaurs behind him; he fired an arrow from his bow that landed just in front of the lead wolf.

'Be gone!' he boomed. The wolves growled at him and a few lunged towards the centaurs; when she saw the help arrive Kas had hope glowing in her belly, she could move her limbs but her front left side was unbearably painful but as she saw the centaurs fighting in a fight that wasn't theirs she felt the strength return faster than before. She managed to turn her head and snapped her jaws around the Achilles tendon of the right back leg of the alpha; he had turned to see what was happening. He yelped in pain as his leg gave way under him and yelped a command. The wolves scattered, their leader limping behind them, dragging his now useless back leg.

Kas looked up at Orion who was now standing over her, kneeling down on his front legs to pick her up.

'Hello Star' he said quietly, she wagged her tail up and down slightly and then the world went black.

Orion knew something was wrong when her eyes closed and she started to slowly change back into a human.

'Young ones!' he called, 'Star, she is transforming slowly back! Something is wrong!'

Sirius, Lily and James ran over and Lily took her friends hand.

'Kas' she whispered softly, checking for a pulse; it was faint but it was there.

'We better get her to the hospital wing' James said, Lily nodded and took out her wand.

'Don't worry Lily' Sirius said, 'I'll carry her there.'

Lily smiled gratefully at him as they and the centaurs walked back along the path. Orion was walking next to Sirius at the front; Lily and James were walking behind and the centaurs were in a ring around them. When they reached the edge of the forest the centaurs left them and galloped back into the forest.

'Thank you!' the three teenagers called after them. Kas stirred slightly in Sirius arms. The three of them ran up to the front doors and into the Entrance Hall. There was noise coming from the Great Hall, it must be dinner time. Sirius was surprised at how little Kas weighed, he would run and carry her easily. Finally they reached the hospital wing.

'Mrs Kwelan!' Sirius yelled, the nurse came out of her office looking intrigued as to why she was being yelled for so viciously, then she saw Kas.

'Put her on the bed this instant!' she said and ran into her office to get some supplies.

'Wait outside, I'll call you when I'm finished' she said. The three teenagers obliged and stood outside the hospital wing; Sirius and Lily were in shock, James looked at both of them and hated what he saw: Sirius who was always so fun loving was now solemn and looking as if he'd lost his world; Lily was crying silently.

'I'll go and get the others' James said quietly and walked to the Great Hall.

James walked into the Great Hall and walked straight to where Remus, Peter, Diana, Emma and Rose were sitting. Emma jumped up when she saw James and ran to him.

'Where is she? Did she find you?' she asked, James nodded mutely and beckoned them to follow him. Remus was suddenly scared; James would have said something to answer Emma's questions, not just nod. He jumped up and followed his friend out of the Great Hall, followed closely by the others. A pair of eyes was watching his movement, however, and another person stood and followed them out, staying a little way behind and out of sight.

They reached the hospital wing and saw Sirius and Lily still standing outside; Emma, Diana and Rose ran to Lily and the four girls embraced one another crying into each others shoulders. James had told everyone what had happened as they had walked there and the girls had started to cry, no one knew what was happening. Sirius looked dead to the world, his eyes fixed firmly on the hospital door, a little way down the corridor another pair of eyes was watching the hospital door in shock. After half an hour the doors opened and Mrs Kwelan came out; everyone looked at her expectantly.

'She's still unconscious but I have dressed her wounds and set her arm; I've mended it but it's best if it's kept still. She'll probably be out for a few more days. A letter is being sent to her guardian to inform him of her state, she should pull through but poison from the Lupine's fangs could have got into her blood stream, usually they only use the poison if their prey is being difficult to catch. I hope none has gotten into her blood stream, otherwise there is nothing I can do to save her.'

Sirius looked at the nurse and slid down the wall to the floor, his head in his hands. Lily had fresh tears running down her cheeks and James walked up to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, Emma and Diana clung to each other for support while Rose sobbed onto Peter's shoulder. Remus stood as still as a statue, not wanting to believe this had happened. Down the hallway a Slytherin hid behind a statue was also held motionless by the news that Kas could die.

A week passed and still Kas had not woken up; her guardian had arrived at Hogwarts and was staying in a spare teacher's quarters not far from Dumbledore's study; he had only been in to see her once, and that was when he first arrived. Sirius had been sitting next to her and he had seen the contempt and hatred in Harstone's eyes when he had looked at Kas lying on the bed. Kas' state was affecting most of the school. Dumbledore had announced at breakfast that she was in the hospital wing and that if anyone wanted to see Mrs Kwelan they have to wait a few minutes before she could see to them. Lily and Rose had become closer but Lily was still distant. Emma and Diana clung onto each other for support and the four girls would sit in the common room, in the Great Hall or by Kas' bedside in silence. People usually left the Florettes alone, without one of their members they were slowly being torn apart inside. As for the Marauders they had changed dramatically, they hadn't pulled a prank since she had been put in the hospital wing and Sirius seemed dead to the world. James and Remus watched their friend with growing worry; they knew that if Kas died Sirius would never be the same again. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone Sirius did love Kas. James and Remus had worked it out a while ago, Peter was still oblivious to it. James spent most of his time trying to keep Sirius in the real world, but inside he too was being torn apart. Remus had taken to going to the library and reading a lot more tha usual. James had once found him with a book on wolves in his hand; Peter was acting as normal as he could but he too was sullen. There was also one Slytherin ho was becoming distant with the rest of his house.

It had been a month since the attack in the forest and Kas was still unconscious in the hospital wing. Remus was sitting in the Shrieking Shack waiting for the moon to come up, this time his transformation was the worst yet. He screamed in agony and, when the wolf was let out, it howled in pain to the moon. The wolf looked around, where was its alpha? Where was the she wolf that had been here last time? The wolf needed its pack. It lifted its head to the moon and called for the pack, for its alpha. Its call was heard all the way at Hogwarts.

Professor Dumbledore heard it as he sat in his study talking to Mr Harstone about Kas' health; Professor McGonagall heard it as she sat marking in her office. Mrs Kwelan heard it as she put her equipment away in her cupboard. Snape heard it as he sat in his room in the Slytherin Dungeons. The Florettes heard it as they sat in their dorm talking about the past, tears came to their eyes. Peter heard it as he sat in the common room doing his homework. James heard it as he walked back from detention. Sirius heard it as he sat next to Kas in the hospital wing. And, next to Sirius, a white she-wolf stirred inside a human body as she heard the call. Kas' hand twitched and Sirius looked down as slowly, very slowly, Kas opened her eyes. They went out of focus for a moment and then she looked straight into Sirius' dark eyes.

'Sirius?' she whispered. Sirius couldn't believe what he was seeing, what he was hearing. He jumped up and brought Kas into a bone crushing hug. She smiled into his shoulder and hugged him back, tears leaking out of her eyes. Sirius pulled away and looked at her.

'Hey Kas, welcome back' he said.

The Florettes were in their room, still talking when they heard a shout come from the common room. Lily went to the door and opened it.

'Are you up there?' Sirius yelled.

'Yes!' Lily yelled back, 'What the hell is wrong with you Black? Are you trying to wake up the whole damn school?'

Lily heard Sirius laugh downstairs.

'Lily I don't give a damn if the whole school hears or not!' he yelled back. There was a slight pause then he yelled the next sentence so load that it felt as if he was standing next to Lily and yelling it.

'She's awake!'

_A/N: There you go. Hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you think. Next chapter is literally planned out so shouldn't be long before it's up. Thank you to my reviewers! You're great guys!_

_Ciao for now!_

_xStarswordx_


	21. Potions

**Chapter 20- Potions **

The next evening saw Kas out of the hospital wing and in the common room; Remus still hadn't returned from the hospital wing after his transformation. He had still been asleep when Kas had left; she was sitting with the Florettes by the fireplace and she was catching up on her Transfiguration homework, luckily the teachers had been quite kind to her and had given her the work she had missed a little at a time as extra homework; they were covering the basics of Animagi in Transfiguration, a topic that had sparked the Marauders interest (wonder why…) and that Kas found easy, she usually spent the lessons doing extra homework. Peter, Sirius and James walked down the stairs into the common room and came and joined them, getting out their own homework; for a few minutes there was a comfortable silence and then the portrait opened. The group looked over and saw Remus step into the room; he saw the group and made his way over, limping slightly due to a cut on his leg; he hadn't yet noticed Kas.

'Hey guys' he said as he reached them, he saw Kas and stared with an open mouth at her.

'Hey Rem. Sorry bout missing this month' Kas said, Remus laughed and brought her into a hug.

'Hey Kas' he said. The rest of the night was spent with a lot of laughs and thrown pillows.

The next day dawned bright and cheerful and the Florettes found themselves at breakfast early (a big feat for them as usually they're still asleep). Kas was greeted by many people from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw as she and the Florettes walked down to their places, all of them telling her they hoped she was better now and she wasn't going to end up in the hospital wing like that for a long time. They sat down at the table and Kas took a bit of almost everything in sight.

'Wow Kas, I know you've been unconscious for a long time but you're eating as much as James and Sirius' Lily commented. Kas laughed.

'Someone say my name?' a voice said behind Lily. Sirius grinned down at her and Lily rolled her eyes as the Marauders took their seats. Kas looked up when Dumbledore entered the Great Hall from a side door behind the teachers' table and froze. Lily looked at her and then followed her gaze. Harstone had just sat down next to Dumbledore and was just starting to serve himself breakfast. Kas looked like she had just been told she was going to be sent to her death; she took a quick look around the hall, stood up and walked out quickly. Lily stood to follow her but Sirius shook his head and stood up instead.

'I'll go' he said. Lily looked uncertain for moment but then nodded and sat down again. Sirius picked up his and Kas' bags, shot a look at her guardian who was looking at him with an unreadable expression, and then followed Kas out of the Great Hall.

He reached the Entrance Hall and headed towards the grounds, working on a suspicion; he saw her walking towards the lake and ran after her. She stopped under a willow tree and sat down; Sirius walked up beside her and then sat down next to her.

'You don't want him here do you?' he asked quietly. Kas shook her head and continued to look across the lake.

'How long has he been here?' she asked. Sirius studied her expression, it was closed and the dead look had returned to her eyes.

'Since the week after you were admitted to hospital' he answered Kas looked down and nodded; she stood up.

'We better get to Potions' she said, Sirius stood up and handed Kas her bag and the two of them made their way to the dungeons. They stood outside the classroom as the rest of the class joined them; a few people came and greeted Kas and she smiled and nodded at their greetings, she didn't realised how many people had actually been worried about her condition. Kas looked down the corridor and saw Snape standing back in the shadows; she smiled at him as he nodded. Slughorn opened the door to the dungeon and they filed in. The Florettes sat two benches from the back with the Marauders behind them; Slughorn started the lesson.

'Today we are going to make the potion on page 40. Open you're books and get into partners and begin' he boomed through the dungeon. The Florettes looked at each other; they took it in turns to be the one to be paired with someone else. This time Kas picked up her cauldron and smiled at her friends, she had an idea.

'I'll go with someone else this time' she said, Lily was about to argue when Kas walked off and put her stuff next to Snape's.

'Mind I work with you?' Kas asked, Snape shook his head and turned to page 40.

The Florettes watched her with open mouths.

'Is she-? Am I going insane?' Emma asked, she pinched herself, 'Nope, not dreaming.'

'OK… let's ask question later' Rose suggested and the four girls started on their potions.

'Sirius stop trying to chop you're fingers and start cutting the roots' James sighed, Sirius glared at his best friend.

'OK, fingers is fine' James muttered. Lily turned round and saw Sirius was looking at Kas in shock too.

'You look exactly how we feel' Lily said, smiling sympathetically then she returned to making her potion with Rose.

Over at the other table Kas and Snape were talking quietly whilst they made their potion.

'They're going to ask questions you know' Snape said as he added some ingredients to the potion.

'I know. If they can't accept any of my friends then they can't really accept me can they?' she said. Snape nodded thoughtfully.

Finally the lesson bell rang and everyone handed in a flask of potion and packed away.

'See you later' Kas said to Snape, he nodded and made his way out of the classroom. Kas saw the Marauders follow not far behind him; she started out after them and the Florettes caught up to her.

'You wanna explain that?' Rose asked, Kas smiled and shook her head.

'When I ran off last month I ran into Snape and we got talking. We're just friends' Kas answered, the others exchanged raised eyebrows.

'Is this the same guy that-'

'Don't start Lily. I know. We've both put the past behind us and we're starting a fresh' Kas said, Lily nodded and smiled at her.

'Well, I'll be behind you even if no one else is' Lily said. Rose nodded next to her.

'Us too Kas' Emma said as her twin nodded next to her.

'Thanks guys, you're the best friends I could ever ask for' she said, suddenly there was a crash up ahead.

'Something tells me the Marauders have found someone' Diana said, the girls ran up the last few steps into the Entrance Hall. James and Sirius were facing Snape, wands out and Snape was trying to fight the jelly legs curse. Kas had a neutral look on her face as she walked forwards past James and Sirius and up to Snape; she waved her wand and the curse came off. She held out her hand and helped Snape up.

'You ok?' she asked.

'As ok as I'll ever be, see you later' Snape answered, he pocketed his wand and walked off. Kas turned to James and Sirius.

'What the hell are you doing?' James asked, Kas saw Lily send James a dark look and fought the urge to smile.

'Standing up for a friend' she answered, her voice was quiet but loud enough so everyone could hear her.

'What?' James asked.

'You heard' she said again, the crowd gathered around them had gone quiet. Lily came and stood beside Kas, taking her arm incase she decided to attack.

'You heard her, Potter. Now get lost' Lily said, Kas sent a smile at Lily; Lily didn't like Snape but she was thankful she was helping her at least.

'I wasn't talking to you Evans' James snarled. Kas was taking deep breaths, she was feeling slightly dizzy and she didn't need this fight so soon after coming out of the hospital wing.

'If you start yelling at my friend you can start yelling at me too' Lily snapped back, the other Florettes had come up to.

'Part of the package' Emma said, James and Sirius glared at them.

'Come on James, its not worth it' Sirius said, taking his friends arm. Remus and Peter walked over. James glared at Kas.

'I don't think you realise that this is the same person who has made you're life hell for the past three years' he snarled, the other Marauders stopped; Remus wasn't looking at any of the Florettes.

'I don't think you realise I don't care' Kas retaliated; everyone could see tempers were rising.

'Do whatever you want, Starsword. Just don't expect to be able to run to us if you get hurt' Sirius said. Kas looked at Sirius and their gazes locked, it was the first time they'd had a real fight.

'Don't worry about me, Black. I can look after myself' Kas snapped. No one had noticed Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall arrive with a strange man.

'I'm sure you can, Starsword. You didn't need us a few weeks ago did you?' Sirius snapped back, they were facing each other in the centre of the crowd and eyes were flickering back and forth between the two like a tennis match.

'No, Black. If I die, I die; that's the law of life and I can't change that. I accept it' Kas snapped back. Sirius narrowed his eyes.

'Fine. Accept it and die next time!' he yelled. Kas smirked darkly.

'I'm sure I will, Black. I'm sure I will' she said, quietly. She turned around and saw Dumbledore and McGonagall standing behind the Florettes, they looked grim and when she looked behind them she saw why.

'I'm glad you're out of hospital, Larkasia' her guardian said with a smile. Kas took a deep breath and smiled back.

'Thank you, sir' she said quietly.

'Miss Starsword can you come with us please?' Dumbledore asked, 'we have some things you're guardian would like to discuss.'

Kas nodded.

'See you later' she said to the Florettes and followed the three grown ups along the corridors of Hogwarts to Dumbledore's office.

Behind them was a scene of shock and confusion. The crowd was slowly dispersing but the Marauders and the Florettes were still looking at where Kas had disappeared; Sirius sighed and turned to his friends.

'Shall we go?' he asked, the others nodded but Remus stayed still and silent. Lily turned to him with a fire in her eyes.

'You bastard!' she yelled. Sirius turned to her and looked at her with a cool exterior.

'Whatever Evans, just go after your pal Starsword and give her a shoulder to cry on' he said. Lily's eyes narrowed.

'I've only seen her cry once Black, and that was last month before she went into hospital' Lily said darkly, she turned on her heel an walked off, Emma, Diana and Rose followed her shooting the boys dark looks as they went. Sirius stood frozen to the spot; she'd only cried that once since first year? Feeling like a prick, he and the rest of the Marauders walked to lunch and ate in silence.

Kas sat silently in Dumbledore's office, numb from shock. Her guardian turned to her again.

'Well an agreement has been made, Larkasia' he said, she looked at him, 'As you are still not of age and I am you're guardian I am still in control of what happens in most of your life at the moment. After consulting you're teachers I have decided that in less than 2 years you will have an arranged marriage. A week after New Years Day in your fifth year to be exact. Also you will be spending every Easter Holiday here at Hogwarts.'

Kas sat speechless, but nodded nonetheless. She stole a look at Dumbledore and saw he looked grim and gave her a small smile of encouragement: he couldn't do any more, though, he'd done all he could and that was delay it until her fifth year, also have her stay at Hogwarts during the Easter. She had two more years of freedom. Her guardian didn't look too happy about her staying at Hogwarts for the Easter Holidays but at least it was another bit of freedom.

'You may leave if you wish, Miss Starsword' Dumbledore told her, 'You may also take the rest of the day off. I'm sure you can get most of your catch up work done this afternoon.'

Kas nodded and stood up, Professor McGonagall walked with her until the bottom of the staircase.

'You may follow me if you wish as you have Transfiguration next, but you may also go to Gryffindor Tower' McGonagall said to her.

'I'll follow you if I may Professor' she answered, McGonagall nodded.

'I'm sorry, Starsword, Professor Dumbledore and myself have done all in our power to stop this from happening.'

'It's ok Professor. I've got two years until I have to face it' Kas said, she remained silent until they reached the Transfiguration classroom; she walked in slightly late with Professor McGonagall and took her normal seat on the end of the bench next to Lily.

'Good morning class, today we're going to finish our topic on Animagi-'Professor McGonagall said. Kas' head snapped up. Of course! If she could turn into an animal whilst at her guardian's house she could escape when he wasn't looking, warn the wolves, and make her way back to Hogwarts. The only problem with this plan was that she couldn't turn into an animal when she was at her guardian's house and her guardian never left her alone and locked the doors magically and there was no way she could get out of her window, it was too small and there were bars on the other side. A ball of paper landed on the desk between Lily and Kas, they looked at each other and then Lily opened it.

_Wanna go out with me Evans?- JP_

Kas resisted the urge to laugh and looked at Lily with a smile on her face,

'Doesn't give up does he?' she whispered. Lily shook her head and ignored the note. After ten minutes they had a few balls of parchment on their desk; Kas opened them and lined them up in order so it looked like a one sided conversation.

_Come on Evans, reply at least- JP_

_You're not still mad about the argument earlier are you?- JP_

_Come on at least talk to me and tell me what's wrong. Oh and Kas Sirius wants to talk to you- JP._

Kas frowned at the last one and stopped laying out the notes.

'Kas… there's something glowing in your bag' Lily said as McGonagall set them some questions to do and a low hum of noise was starting. Kas reached down and took out the parchment the Marauders had sent her for Christmas; there were a few messages already on there.

_J: Can you at least give us a chance to say sorry?_

_S: Kas please talk to us. I'm sorry about earlier I was angry and I was surprised._

It continued in a similar way till about half way down the page. Kas had had enough; she folded the parchment and raised her hand.

'Professor, may I be excused please?' she asked, Professor McGonagall looked at her and smiled.

'Yes Miss Starsword; the homework will be to finish the questions' she said. Kas nodded and packed her things away.

'I'll see you later' she muttered to Lily and turned to leave. As she passed the Marauders bench she put the parchment in front of Sirius before walking out of the classroom.

'You might want you're spare back'

_A/N: So Kas has given the parchment back. Oh dear… what's she gonna do for the holidays? Next chapter will hopefully be up soon. Thank you to my reviewers._

_Ciao for now._

_xStarswordx_


	22. Unexpected Visitor And A Kiss

**Chapter 21- Unexpected Visitor and a Kiss**

Kas spent the rest of the day in her room completing all the work that she had missed and her Transfiguration questions. Finally the last bell went and she walked down to the Great Hall for dinner; she took her normal place and kept a look out for the Florettes; finally they walked in and she waved them over. Lily and Rose sat on either side of her and the twins sat opposite her.

The Marauders walked in a few minutes after the Florettes and saw the girls sat together at the far end of the table.

'Come on, let's sit over here' James said, they sat down a few seats away from the Florettes and soon their fan clubs came in. A group of girls came over and started to fawn over them; Sirius wasn't in the mood for it and he stared at his plate moodily; truthfully since Kas had given back the parchment the Marauders had been in a small state of shock. Sirius was especially confused so he did the only thing he could do to cheer his friends up: he pulled a prank. He aimed a spell over his shoulder and saw it hit a few of the Slytherins. Their robes turned into tutus and they started to dance on the table, James grinned at his friend and aimed another spell at another group of Slytherins; this group started to do gymnastics that they would never had been capable of doing if they hadn't been jinxed. Remus grinned and his friends and pulled a prank of his own that had James and Sirius laughing madly; Remus changed the robes (and dresses) of all the Slytherins to gold and red and gave them all lion masks that roared every so often. Peter followed the example of his friends and jinxed some of the food on the Slytherin table to turn into various horrid things such as plates full of worms, slugs and various other insects. Laughter had erupted since Sirius' prank and had steadily grown in volume.

Professor McGonagall stood up and waved her wand and the pranks were reversed.

'Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew detention my office tomorrow night' she said. The Marauders nodded and grinned.

'Well that was… different' Peter said, the others laughed and went back to eating their food.

For the next two weeks the Florettes evaded the Marauders quite well considering they knew all of the secret passageways of Hogwarts; not to mention they were working on a map that would eventually be their most useful tool of mischief making. It was in Potions, however, that it became hard to evade each other. Slughorn had just gotten everybody's attention and had just announced that they would be making a potion, but this time he would be giving them their partners. Most people groaned at this proposition. Slughorn held up his register and started to pair people.

'Clemment and Longuard'

'Which one?' Emma asked.

'Whichever one you want!' Slughorn said; it was common knowledge the teachers hated to pair their class because they'd make pairing difficult. Emma paired with Rose  
The girls grinned at each other and took out their books.

'Lucky gits' Diana muttered, Emma snorted.

'Clemment, Lupin'

Lily and Kas sent Diana sympathetic glances.

'Look on the bright side at least its not-'Lily started.

'Potter, Evans' Slughorn boomed. Lily groaned and Diana grinned at her.

'Potter?' she finished Lily's earlier sentence.

'Oh shove off' Lily muttered. Kas laughed at her friends.

'Pettigrew, Lestrange'

The Marauders sent Peter sympathetic looks.

'Good luck mate' Sirius said, clapping Peter on the shoulder.

'Black, Starsword'

Kas froze and groaned almost as loud as Lily.

'What did we do?' Kas muttered to Lily, her friend shrugged and the two girls picked up their books.

'I'm starting to think all the teachers are sadistic gits' Lily muttered, Kas laughed but shook her head; after what Mrs Kwelan, McGonagall and Dumbledore had done for her she wasn't about to start saying she didn't like the teachers. Lily walked over to James and Kas to Sirius. They took out their books and started to make their potion in silence.

'How are you?' Sirius asked; Kas shrugged. They had a match tomorrow and she didn't want to get into an even bigger argument with her team mates if she could help it.

'Could be worse. You?' she asked.

'OK' Sirius said, they finished the lesson in silence; Kas occasionally snorted from the argument floating over to her from the next desk where James and Lily were working; she saw Snape working with Lucius Malfoy and smiled slightly. She had spoken to him a few times since the argument she had had with the Marauders, though this was usually on her way back from the library. The lesson ended and the third years walked out of the dungeons and headed back to their common rooms. Kas was about to walk out with Lily and meet the rest of the Florettes outside when someone tapped her on her shoulder.

'Hey Severus' she said. 'I'll be out in a minute Lily'

Lily nodded and walked out of the door just in front of the Marauders who sent Snape dark looks; Kas had a hand on her wand just in case. They passed by though without any threat of aiming a spell.

'You ok?' she asked, Snape nodded.

'You?'

'Surviving' she said with a smile.

'Would you mind helping me with the Transfiguration questions in the library tomorrow?' he asked. Kas smiled and nodded.

'After dinner sound ok?'

'Yeah sure. See ya' and with that the two of them walked out and Kas joined her friends; they walked to dinner and they could be found in their room that night talking, all of them sitting on their beds in their pyjamas.

'Let's play the question game' Diana suggested.

'What's that?' Kas asked.

'It's where someone asks a question and everyone answers it and then the person who asked has to answer it too' Diana explained.

'Ok…' Lily said.

'Oh and if we put this spell on everyone it means we have to tell the truth or our skin turns bright pink for five minutes' Emma said, waving her wand and sending a spell onto everyone.

'I'll take it off when we've finished' she said. Diana smiled and shook her head at her twin.

'Sometimes I swear I'm not related to you' she said, Emma laughed and cuffed her twin over the back of the head.

'Oh come on Owl, you know you love her really' Rose teased. Diana laughed.

'Yeah, I guess. Just sometimes I swear we're not related' she said, laughing. The others laughed and then Rose started the questions.

'OK, I'll start off nice' she said, grinning 'When was your first?'

The other laughed.

'Nice? Asking about periods, nice?' Lily asked, Rose laughed.

'You're first Tiger' she said grinning. Lily rolled her eyes and blushed slightly.

'Potter's house last summer. You guys know that' she said, turning slightly red. The others laughed.

'Owl?' Rose said, looking at Diana expectantly.

'September 2nd year during Transfiguration' she answered, 'Go on Eagle'

'Charms, beginning of term' Emma answered. They all looked at Kas.

'Summer before 2nd year' she answered, 'Go on Dove, you're turn.'

'Last summer' Rose answered.

'I'm gonna open a window' Kas said, standing up and walking over to the window next to her bed. She threw the curtains over her head and opened the window, taking a moment to look down at the grounds. She saw three figures crossing the grounds heading towards the Whomping Willow, a pang of guilt struck her when she realised it was the full moon again. She looked out towards the forest and saw a lone figure by the trees, her heart leapt as she saw others joining it. The wolves had found her. In a thrice she had made up her mind, she ran to her bed and threw her cloak over her shoulders.

'I'm going for a run, see you tomorrow' she said over her shoulder as she walked out. Luckily she usually wore a too big T-shirt and a pair of shorts to bed; she realised she'd forgotten to put any shoes on, but that didn't matter. She preferred to change without them on. She reached the common room and saw Sirius, James and Peter sat around the fire, probably waiting for Remus to get back tomorrow morning; she grinned inwardly. She made to cross the common room without being noticed but James caught sight of her.

'Well look who it is. Guess you hated the fact that you're imprisoned in a room. Well at least you're not a prisoner in you're mind I guess' James said his words were harsh. Kas ignored him and carried on across the room; Sirius caught her arm as she passed them and spun her to face him.

'Remus counted on you to help him. You just gonna abandon him?' he said quietly, his grip was tight but Kas pulled her arm back.

'He doesn't need me to help him. He's found a pack' she said, and with that left them alone. She had seen the anger in Sirius' eyes when he'd grabbed her and she felt bad at having to deceive them, but she didn't want them to know what she was doing.

She reached the front doors and stepped out into the cold spring night; she pulled her cloak closer around her and set off for the Willow, making sure she was out of sight. Once there she waited until Professor McGonagall and Mrs Kwelan had climbed out of the tunnel and were out of sight before darting forward, dodging the willow's branches, and leaping into the tunnel. She had to be fast, she had to talk to Remus before he changed and the moon would be up soon. She turned into a wolf and leapt down the tunnel, within half a minute she had climbed out of the tunnel and into the Shrieking Shack. She paused and changed back into a human before quietly making her way towards the room where Remus always transformed.

'Whose there?' a voice called, Kas took a deep breath and stepped into the room, Remus was standing in the middle and she saw him relax slightly when he saw her.

'Kas?'

'Hey Remus'

'What are you doing here?'

'Doing what I promised I would do. The wolves have found their way here and I was wondering if you wanted to go for a run with us' she said, she didn't look at him as she said this. Remus watched the girl in front of him and smiled to himself; he walked up to her and lifted her face so she looked hi straight in the eye.

'I'd love to, as long as it's safe' he said. Kas smiled and nodded.

'Let's not tell anyone I'm still coming here. It might kick off' she said, Remus smiled and nodded; he suddenly realised how close they were, and for once Kas wasn't looking away. For a reason unknown to him Remus bent down and their lips touched; a few moments they stood there exchanging kisses until Remus pulled back.

'The moon'll be up soon' he said, Kas nodded and she changed back into a wolf. A few seconds after she had changed the moonlight hit Remus' skin and he bent over as his transformation started. Kas watched as his body changed into a wolf's.

Finally the transformation finished and the black werewolf was standing in front of her; it leapt forward and the two wolves greeted each other. Then Kas led it out of the Shack and into the grounds of Hogwarts, once there they headed towards the forest where Kas let out a howl, calling to the pack. With a yelp they appeared and there was a few minutes of wolves leaping around greeting each other and becoming acquainted with the werewolf who was now in their midst. Finally a white she-wolf similar to Kas but with a few silver hairs at the tip of her tail darted into the undergrowth; the others followed her until they reached a small cave where the wolves settled to swap stories (_A/N: If there is any speech whilst it is the full moon it is me translating what is being said by the wolves, they are not speaking as humans do, if you get what I mean)_.

Inside the wolf's body Remus' mind was starting to see what was happening; he was amazed that the wolf could already identify the different wolves by their scents. They were all females but as they talked Remus was able to pick up their names. There was a jet black wolf with hazel eyes called Ebony, Shadowmoon was a white wolf like Kas with sapphire-blue eyes, the wolf that lay next to him was called Arnica, she was a light grey with a white mask, bib and paws and a pair of hypnotic grey eyes. Next to Kas was the most intriguing wolf he had ever seen; she had a black face, bib and paws, brown legs and underbelly, grey sides and tail and a white spine, ears and mask; one of her eyes was green and the other was blue, her name was Hazel. After about half an hour the wolves stood up and Kas beckoned to Remus, they were going for a hunt.

It was one of the most exciting things Remus had ever done; he had never known how much he could actually do when he was a wolf, the hunt lasted for about two hours but they finally managed to bring down an old stag and the wolves gorged themselves on the fresh meat. Finally Kas led Remus back to the Shack; they only just made it back in time before he started to transform back into a human. He lay on the ground breathing heavily, Kas turned back into a human and knelt next to him.

'You ok?' she asked, he smiled at her.

'Yeah, I'll be fine' he said, sitting up and looking at her again. He remembered kissing her last night.

'Look, Kas about last night I'm-' he stopped when Kas shook her head.

'Don't worry, Remus' she said softly. She stood up to leave before any of the adults found her.

'Oh, by the way, you might want to brush you're teeth when you get back you're breath'll probably stink of raw venison' she said, Remus laughed and nodded.

When Mrs Kwelan came to collect him she couldn't believe his lack of injuries and told him he could go back to the Tower immediately. He said a quick thank you and walked back to Gryffindor Tower. He brushed his teeth about three times as soon as he entered the Marauders room, he smirked and the set cold water flying at his friends, they yelped and leapt out of bed as if they'd been burnt. Laughing, Remus ran down to the common room to wait for them to join him before going to breakfast. For some reason today seemed to be heading towards being brilliant; the only time he groaned inwardly was when his friends asked him why he was blushing at the breakfast table, of course they didn't know he'd caught the eye of a certain member of the Florettes.

_A/N: So Remus and Kas kissed? The next chapter is going to be the summer holidays because I want to get started on their fourth year and get to fifth year because everything kicks off in the next two years. Not that I'm giving away any plot lines or anything. I'm gonna start the personal thank you's for the reviews again. So here goes:_

_**Reth:** Hiya Bouncy! Am I doing well on the paragraphs now? Hehe I'm sorry… I just forget to put more breaks in. Keep up your story writing if you have time… Talk to you tomorrow, thanks for the reviews!_

_**Kt: **Thanks for reviewing! What did you think of the Remus and Kas scene? Hehe did you see that coming? Well that plots going to be a bit odd… especially since she's going to be getting married in a year or two lol. Did you like the Snape idea? Talk to you soon!_

_**Pippinwitch: **Hey Swirls! The plot thickens and thickens till its as thick as cement… lol. I'm not obsessed with wolves at all… where did you get that idea from? Lol. Yes Kas is going to go nuts over the next holidays… just wait and see what happens. Yes Sirius is being a git and yes he does need to take a chill pill. Will they ever make up do you think? Or will Remus steal his girl? Lol sounds a bit like Eastenders or something don't it? Hehe. Thanks for the reviews!_

_**Hpfreak:** Hiya, thanks for reviewing! Harstone is going to get worse promise, but it will all sort itself out. Maybe I can surprise a lot of people, lol. _

_Thank you again to all my reviewers, I love you all! Well seeing as I am now recovered from my cold I'll be back at school and so have less time to write, I will try and keep up a steady stream of updates but I can't promise anything except that I'll try._

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx_


	23. Bands and Beatings

**Chapter 22- Bands and Beatings**

The rest of the year passed in a haze for everyone and soon trunks were being packed for the ride home. Kas had been at every full moon since the wolves had found her, she had made them promise to stay at Hogwarts all the time until she was free of her guardian.

The Florettes were sat in a compartment waiting for the train to pull out of the station when the door opened.

'Err… we don't mean to intrude but would you mind if we sat with you? It's just everywhere else is full or it's a compartment full of Slytherins or irritating girls who wont leave us alone' Remus said a little hesitantly. Emma was shaking with silent laughter and her sister rolled her eyes at her, Rose was following Emma's example and soon the two were in hysterics. Kas raised her eyebrows at the pair.

'Err… right… Owl can you make sure Eagle and Dove don't choke on their sweets for me? I really don't want to have to stick my fingers down their throats' Kas said, Diana snorted.

'Yeah I guess you can sit here. Err… I guess we should apologise upfront about any arguments, shouldn't we?' she said to Remus; Remus chuckled and nodded and the Marauders walked in and stowed their luggage. Lily and Kas sat next to the windows and made a point not to talk to Sirius or James, the others talked as acquaintances and the journey felt like an age. Finally they pulled into Platform 9 ¾ and everyone clambered off. As Kas turned to leave Remus handed her a piece of parchment.

'If you only want to talk to one or two people just write their name and then your message and it'll only be sent to that person. Don't tell the others I gave it to you or they really will kill me' he muttered, she shrugged and walked off with a muttered 'goodbye'.

Lily took Kas to meet her parents and the two girls spent a few minutes trying not to laugh as Petunia hid behind her mother. Soon Kas saw her guardian walking up to them; she sighed and waved goodbye to Lily before walking up to meet him.

'Hello, Larkasia. We have to leave immediately, as you should know I do not like being in public places for too long. Why were you talking with those Muggles? If you're spending time with Mudbloods you will wish you'd never been born' he snarled at her, Kas shrugged and looked at the barrier behind her guardian. This seemed to infuriate him even more; at that moment Kas saw Sirius walking over behind a man, woman and smaller boy, she guessed they were his family.

'Ah, Anthony; how very nice to see you again. How are you?' her guardian greeted Sirius' father like an old friend; Kas stood by her guardians side looking at anything but Sirius and staying silent.

'This is Larkasia, the girl who I am caring for. Nasty bit of business trying to get hold of Michel in Paris. Have you heard much from him?' that was the last thing she heard her guardian say before the boy standing next to Sirius spoke to her.

'Are you the girl Stephan is getting married to?' he asked her; she saw Sirius look at her in surprise. Kas shrugged.

'I wouldn't know. I haven't heard from my guardian since he left Hogwarts a few months ago' she said simply. The boy's eyes narrowed and he sniffed.

'Well I don't know what our cousin is thinking of if he agrees to it. Though I guess it would be our aunt and uncle who would agree to it. Mind you I always thought they'd have better taste-'he said, Kas looked him straight in the eye and he smirked. Sirius, she noticed, was pretending to ignore both of them but was listening intently to the conversation.

'Well we better be off. Come, Larkasia. Dinner has to be ready by six and it's already 4:30' he said, she nodded simply and followed her guardian out of the train station to a summer of hell. Sirius watched her go and sighed, turning to follow his family for the one summer he wouldn't be spending with any of his friends.

A week later and Lily opened the door to find Rose standing on the doorstep.

'Rose!' she cried and she threw her arms around her friend, the two girls hugged briefly before Lily ushered her friend inside.

'I'll take you up to my room so you can drop off your stuff' Lily said, the two girls ran up the stairs carrying Rose's bags with them, finally they reached Lily's room and collapsed onto the two beds that had been set up for Rose's one week stay.

'How do you think the others are?' Rose asked as she looked at Lily's CD collection, being a half blood she knew what most of the bands were.

'Well I think Emma and Diana are off on holiday in Spain or Portugal, but I haven't heard from Kas yet' Lily said, the old wave of concern flew across both girls' faces.

'Mind if I put Queen on?' Rose asked Lily, Lily smiled and shook her head, Queen was her favourite band (_hehe especially for you Vicky!)._

James sat in his room with Remus, they were laughing about something when suddenly James reached into his pocket and took out his two way mirror.

'Hey Sirius, how you doing?' James asked Remus came and sat next to James so he could look over his shoulder at Sirius; he grew worried at the serious look Sirius' face (_no pun intended here_).

'What's wrong?' he asked. Sirius looked at both of them and took a deep breath.

'I know this is a little late to be talking about it but I haven't had any other chances. As we were leaving the station last week my dad walked over and started talking to Kas' guardian right?'

'Yeah we saw' James said, Sirius nodded.

'Well as the grown ups were talking Regulus turned to Kas and said "Are you the girl Stephan is getting married to?" and-'

'What?' James said, Remus covered James' mouth with his hand.

'Go on'

'Well Kas just shrugged and said she wouldn't know as she hasn't spoken to her guardian since he left Hogwarts. The thing is Stephan is part of our French relations and they are really into the Dark Arts, full on support of Voldemort, more than my parents are. It might only be a rumour that's going round the family but I know the French relations are all up for arranged marriages. I've met Stephan once and he actually freaked me out a little bit; he knew curses even Snivellus doesn't know. He can perform the Cruciatus Curse for god's sake. What I want to know is if he really is marrying Kas. She'll not only be sent to France but she'll be right in the inner circle of Voldemort, and seeing as he killed her parents whose to say he won't kill her first chance he's got?'

James had stopped struggling to get free of Remus and the two boys sat in shock. Then Remus went into a frenzy, he checked his pockets and then ran to his trunk and began throwing everything out.

'What's Rem doing? It sounds like he's trying to set off a bomb' Sirius asked.

'Looking for something I think' was the answer James gave him, 'Remus what are you looking for?'

'My parchment. Our talking one, you know…' he trailed off, still looking through his trunk,

'It's on the desk where we always leave ours when we're in my room' James said. Remus lunged at the desk and took out his quill and ink bottle, he scribbled a note on the paper. James saw his parchment flair up and walked over.

'Talk to you on the parchment' James said to Sirius, he nodded and disappeared from the mirror. James looked down at his parchment.

_R: Kas are you there?_

After a pause there was a reply.

_K: This better be important Remus, I don't have long and I'm going to be in trouble as it is._

_R: Are you getting married to someone called-_

_S: Stephan Le Chasser_

There was a pause.

_K: It's none of your concern what happens in my life. I thought you weren't going to tell them, Remus? Why the sudden change in heart?_

_R: Kas this is important._

_K: Goodbye. Next time you gain someone's trust don't lie to them afterwards. Especially if you go around kissing them!_

The parchment stayed dim and Remus put his head in his hands. James looked at Remus.

'What was that about?' he asked. Remus looked up at James.

'I might as well tell you everything now' he said solemnly.

'What do you mean everything?' James asked, his voice was starting to sound dangerous.

'It's nothing big. Kas has still been with me on full moons, she didn't want to tell you guys because we're in a big enough argument as it is. I…' Remus paused. James' face had softened.

'Did you kiss her?' he asked quietly. Remus looked at James and nodded.

'Once. The first full moon after the argument started. I don't know why I did it, I just did' he said. James smiled at him and brought him into a brotherly hug.

'Remus, if someone's helping you we don't care who it is. You should have told us and we probably would have cut her a bit of slack. You're like a brother to us, Remus. Don't forget that.'

Remus smiled and nodded.

'Should I tell Sirius do you think? I know he still likes her even if he won't say it out loud.'

James looked thoughtful for a moment.

'Maybe another time. Now might not be a good time.'

Remus nodded and the two boys went down the stairs for dinner.

Kas was punished for her short break. She stood rigid in a small gap between the wall and a part of the stair structure, hoping she wouldn't be found until her face had stopped smarting. He'd slapped her round the face and then thrown her out of the sitting room. She sighed and made her way down to the kitchen, hoping to get a quick dinner out of the way so she could make some more dishes she could store in the pantry.

Sirius lay on his bed a few weeks later and stared up at the ceiling; he sighed and looked at his bedside clock. It was six o'clock, time for dinner. He stood up, stretched, and walked out of his door, closing it softly behind him and making his way softly down the stairs. Being a Marauder had definitely benefited him these holidays; he could walk almost silently and so could usually make his way around the house without being noticed too much, he shuddered as he saw his father's walking cane beside the door, his father had often hit him with it in the past. He heard voices coming from the front room and made his way in, hoping that he could sneak in unnoticed and not have to talk to their visitors too much. Sirius walked into the brightly lit room and had to wait a few seconds before what he was seeing sunk in. Kas was standing silently against the wall behind her guardian who was sat in one of the big armchairs talking to his parents; he stole a quick look at his parents before making his way along the walls to stand quietly next to Kas.

'What happened to you?' he whispered so the adults wouldn't hear. Kas looked stonily away at the opposite wall, pulling down her sleeves so the full extent of her injuries wouldn't be seen; she still hadn't forgiven Sirius for the argument they'd had just after she'd come out of hospital.

'What's it to you, Black?' she said. Sirius took a deep breath trying to calm himself down, he was getting annoyed with the way she was pushing away all the help she was offered.

'Why don't you actually try and accept some help when it's given to you for once instead of throwing it back in everyone's face' he said and walked back to the door. He was about o go out when his mother addressed him.

'Sirius we're having dinner in the dining room, go and inform Kreacher and Regulus' she said. Sirius walked out of the door and down to the kitchens, he hated the house elf and he wasn't on the best terms with his brother. He stalked into the kitchen and saw Kreacher by the fire.

'We're having dinner in the dining room' Sirius told the elf and turned on his heel to go upstairs. Back in the hall he saw Kas at the foot of the stairs.

'I used the excuse of needing the bathroom to get out of there, we need to talk' she said, Sirius looked at her and then nodded.

'Follow me, I need to tell Regulus about dinner then we'll be free to talk' he led her up the stairs, knocked on Regulus' door and yelled through the door that dinner was in the dining room then took her up another flight of stairs to his room; luckily there was a bathroom on the floor too so they had a good excuse for being on there. He closed the door and turned to face her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest; Kas was stood with her back facing him, looking out of the window. He waited for her to say something for a few minutes before he broke the silence.

'What did you want to talk about?' he asked. She bowed her head and turned to face him, there was little more light in his room than the front room downstairs and he could now see the cuts and bruises on her face a lot clearer than downstairs.

Kas looked up at him and sighed.

'What I tell you does not go beyond this room, understood?' she said, Sirius heard the seriousness in her voice and nodded. She sighed and rolled up her sleeves; it took a moment for Sirius to take in what he saw. Burns, cuts, bruises and scars covered her arms; he took a step forward and took hold of her left hand, he ran his fingers over the injuries.

'How?' he asked, grey eyes narrowed as he took in each injury.

'Harstone' she replied. He looked up at her and for the first time saw what was happening every holiday.

'Every holiday this happens?' he asked. She nodded.

'And now he's going to make you marry my cousin?' Again she nodded.

'When?'

'Christmas of fifth year. Dumbledore couldn't postpone it any longer; I can stay at Hogwarts during the Easter holidays as well.'

'Dumbledore knows and he hasn't done anything?' Sirius asked.

'He only knows about the marriage and he has no proof to be bale to do anything. All he can do is disagree; he's helped me enough anyway, there's nothing more he can do. Nothing anyone can do.'

'Escape. Get out of there and stay with me and James at his house.'

'If I did he'd hunt you both down and kill you and James' parents. The door's magically locked anyway, he seals it and I can't break it.'

'There must be something we can do' Sirius said, he looked her in the eyes. She looked away.

'I only showed you this because I need you all to understand why I couldn't stop it. Tell them, but only after Christmas break of fifth year, not before. Tell them I'm sorry' she said.

'What are going to do? You can't marry him!'

'I have no choice. I must marry him. But I won't be able to live with myself; you'll find out what I mean. If not you can guess' Kas said; she turned to walk back down to the dining room, rolling down her sleeves. Sirius sighed and followed her; they arrived in the dining room and took seats next to each other.

They both remained silent through the first and second courses, and then pudding arrived.

'We're so proud of Regulus. He'll be starting Hogwarts next year and it looks as if he's going to be friends with the right people. We know he wont be a disappointment and will get into Slytherin, be friends with pure bloods and definitely not the mudbloods at that school' Sirius' mother was saying to Harstone. Sirius tensed up, he knew what was coming.

'Yes, if we get another disappointment I wouldn't be able to stand the shame. It's bad enough with one of them being around mudbloods and muggle lovers without Regulus as we-'

'SHUT UP!' Sirius roared, he stood up and glared at his father, 'Don't you dare talk about my friends like that. They're worth ten of you on a bad day!'

'Don't you _dare_ raise your voice at me boy!' his father yelled and stood up to face him. Kas could see Sirius had inherited his father's dark eyes but Sirius' bared little resemblance to the stones that looked across at him from the other side of the table.

'Don't speak about my friends that way and I won't need to! I'm sick of all of you!' he yelled, never had he lost his temper like this before but it was his friends they were insulting. Sirius saw his father's hand move to the side slightly and knew the cane was nearby; he tensed, ready to use his Quidditch training to get him out of this.

'Why do you stand up for the mudbloods anyway? What use are they? They are dirt' Harstone said calmly, 'just like the animals in this world.'

That got Kas' blood boiling.

'If the muggle borns and animals are dirt what does that make you?' she said quietly to her guardian, her voice was low but venom was etched in every word she said.

'I've told you not to answer back at me Larkasia, you would do well not to ignore that piece of advise!'

Kas didn't care, she stood up and as she did so her guardian pointed his wand at her.

'Sit down!'

Kas stayed standing and looked at him, 'you can kill me if you like but you'll never get the inheritance. Dumbledore'll know you killed me and you'll be sent to Azkaban, you can't get the money unless I die in an accident! How can you make murder like that look like an accident!'

She was screaming at him now, she had never had the chance to do so but now she had started she couldn't stop. The two adults stood side by side facing the two teenagers.

'Take Regulus out dear, we have to show these two to respect their elders' Sirius' father said, his mother and Regulus walked out of the room and closed the door. The table was thrown against the wall by a flick of a wand and Sirius' father caught him round the back of the neck; Kas watched as her guardian held her and Sirius was dragged across the room and thrown against the wall.

'Never raise your voice at me again do you understand boy?' he roared as he brought the cane up, Sirius closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. The cane was brought down and he bit back a yell as he felt the wood make contact with his back; Kas had silent tears running down her cheeks as she watched Sirius get beaten over and over again by his father. She'd never realised he'd had to put up with this at home. When his father stopped Sirius looked up at him through a black eye and a bloody nose; he wiped his nose with his sleeve, it did nothing to stop the flow of blood. Kas felt her guardian release her and she made to walk towards Sirius but her legs crumpled beneath her as pain such as she had never felt before coursed through her; it felt like thousands of white hot tiny knives were being driven into her. She bit back her scream of pain and glared at her guardian, she tried to block it out but she couldn't. Finally, after what seemed like an age, the pain stopped and she opened her eyes. She saw the two men walk out and looked over at Sirius.

'Is there any way out?' she asked him, he looked at her and nodded.

'The grate in my room; my parents don't know I keep some Floo Powder in my trunk just in case. If we can light a fire we can get out' he said quietly, it was obvious he was weak.

'We have a week left until school, we could get out of here and get somewhere safe' Kas said, her muscles screamed at her as she crawled over to Sirius. He nodded and stood up, he made it look as if he was in no pain at all but his eyes showed otherwise. The two teenagers stole out of the room and up the stairs, Kas thought she saw something move downstairs but dismissed it as they reached Sirius' room. Once inside Sirius took his trunk from off his wardrobe, took out the Floo powder and a jar with a flame of blue fire in it. He opened the fire into the grate and took out a handful of Floo Powder.

'We'll go to James'. Cherry House! Hur-'

He never finished his sentence because the door was thrown open and Sirius' father and her guardian stepped into the room. Kas pushed Sirius into the grate before he could react and he and his trunk were gone; she rolled over and put out the fire so neither of the men could follow him.

'Come, Larkasia' her guardian said, she swallowed her tears and followed the man whose eyes were burning with anger out of the room where she had almost gained her freedom.

It was the last day of the holidays and Sirius' wounds had finally finished healing, he was lucky to have any scars after the beating. James had been shocked when his friend had appeared in his grate with his trunk covered in blood and close to collapsing. The story he and Remus had been told by Sirius was even more shocking; Sirius was determined to find a way to get Kas out of her guardian's house but none of them knew where she was staying and she wasn't answering the parchment. Remembering what she had screamed at her guardian made Sirius sure she hadn't been killed but he was still worried. The three boys had decided to put the argument behind them as soon as they got on the train and try and make peace with the Florettes so it wouldn't look as odd when they tried to get Kas to talk to them alone. James had suggested someone else adopting her but Remus had pointed out that while he was still out of prison and alive Harstone was still her legal guardian whether someone adopted her or not. The boys sighed and stared across the grounds of Cherry House to the river that ran through the small wood.

Lily and Rose found Emma and Diana in their usual compartment with all of their luggage stored in the rack.

'Kas left us a note saying she had some things to take care of before she came back' Diana told them as they hoisted their trunks into the rack.

'What do you guys think she'll say about our idea?' Rose asked. Lily sighed.

'She'll probably say no at first and then she'll come round' Lily said. Emma and Diana nodded and all the girls leapt up as the compartment door opened.

'Hey guys' Kas said, she was smiling but they realised it didn't reach her eyes again. It was like she was wearing a mask.

'Hey Kas' Lily said, she stood up and gave her friend a hug.

'So what's new?' Kas asked. The girls looked at each other and smiled.

'What? Do I have three eyes or something?' Kas asked. Lily laughed and shook her head.

'We thought we could all start a band or something. See Emma can play the drums, Diana can play the bass and Rose is good at piano and I know for a fact you can sing so you and me could be the lead singers and the others could be backs. What do you think? We could play after Quidditch matches and stuff' Lily said. The girls looked at Kas expectantly. She smiled at them and shook her head slightly.

'OK fine. I'll see if I can change my staying at Hogwarts holiday from Easter to Christmas so we can do a show then. What we singing?' Lily smiled and hugged her friend.

'Thanks Kas. You're the best' she said. The girls sat in the compartment for the next hour talking about songs they could learn to do and talking about possible dance moves to the songs.

The girls started to get a little hungry eventually Kas suggested they try and find the trolley to get something to eat. They found the trolley in the next carriage; as they were walking back someone ran up behind them.

'Kas!'

The girls turned round and saw Sirius.

'Sirius!' Kas yelled, they had never seen her more relieved to see anyone. The two of them met in a hug.

'What happened?' he asked, Kas shook her head and stepped back.

'Nothing. Don't worry' she turned to follow the others but he grabbed her arm.

'I'm not buying that anymore. Come on you're telling everyone. You can't hide it forever' he started to drag her to the Marauders compartment.

'You lot might want to come as well' he said to the other Florettes. The girls followed him back to the Marauders compartment and they all sat down, Lily was glaring daggers at Sirius, she obviously didn't like the way he had man handled her friend.

'What's this about, Black?' Lily asked. Sirius looked at Kas, who was looking out of the window, and then back to Lily.

'You're friend' he answered, he turned to Kas, 'Are you going to tell them or shall I?'

'I thought I said it didn't go any further than that room?' she said quietly. James and Remus exchanged worried glances.

'Sirius maybe we should leav-'

'No James. We can't let it slide. Kas, please. If you want to help the wolves this is a step in the right direction.'

He seemed to have struck a chord. She sighed and started to tell them about the last Christmas break and then up to where she had left Sirius' house after he had made it to James'. She stopped, she couldn't tell them the rest.

'What happened after that?' Lily asked, her voice was strained and Kas could see she was fighting tears back. She took a deep breath as she told them what had happened when she had arrived back at her guardian's house.

#Flashback#

She stepped into the dark house and walked towards the stairs.

'Into the front room, Larkasia' her guardian said in a dangerous voice. She sighed, closed her eyes and took a deep breath and then followed him in. She stood in the middle of the room facing his back as he looked out of the window.

'You disappointed me today. You must never do that again; otherwise this will happen…' he trailed off as he faced her wand raised.

'_Crucio'_

Her legs collapsed under her and she bit her lip to stop from screaming. After about five minutes he ended the spell.

'Now do you see why you must not disobey? I do not wish to kill you before you marry Stephan but if I must I must. _Crucio'_

Again the white hot knives coursed through her blood stream. Finally she fell into a world of nothing but darkness, and the cold and welcoming black.

#End Flashback#

A silence filled the compartment after Kas finished. She looked steadily out of the window.

'Kas… why didn't you tell us before?' Lily asked. Kas took a deep breath and turned to face her.

'He'll kill you all, the wolves and me if he finds out I've told you. This _must not_ go any further than this compartment' she said. They all nodded; finally James broke the silence.

'When is the wedding happening?' he asked. Kas sighed.

'He told Dumbledore after New Year of fifth year. It's actually Christmas Day of fifth year' she replied.

'Why can't you escape?' Rose asked.

'The only way I'd be able to is if I could change at his house and he left the doors unlocked. He doesn't know about me being able to change shape' Kas replied.

'So why don't you try changing? Just in your room, then if he ever leaves the doors open you can get out quickly' Diana suggested. Kas shrugged.

'I could try' she muttered.

'What happened to you're cuts?' Emma asked, Kas took a deep breath and hoped they wouldn't work out the concealment charm she'd placed on them.

'They're healed' she replied and looked back out of the window. Sirius eyes narrowed, he said a quick spell and, before Kas could react, it hit her. Lily screamed and covered her mouth. Kas looked at Sirius.

'What did you do that for?' she yelled. The Florettes all had tears in their eyes, the boys were looking at her in shock, Sirius managed to take in the full extent of her injuries. She had a black eye and her lip was split in two places, her cheek had a slash across it; her arms were covered in cuts, bruises and burns and there was a large burn across her other cheek.

'He did this to you?' James asked, he sounded angry.

'Yes' Kas muttered before turning and running out of the compartment placing another concealment charm on all her injuries. Sirius reacted quickly and took off after her.

'He's going to get hurt, she'll be really angry with him for doing that' Remus said.

_A/N: Hiya, sorry it's taken so long for me to update. I'll try and get the next chapter up by New Year, making no promises though. Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope no one's going to have any more ideas about how I could kill off my evil characters (looks at Vicky after the Richardson episode, lol aww… I love you really Vicky lol) anyway enjoy and I'll update A.S.A.P._

_Ciao for now!_

_xStarswordx_


	24. Tryouts and a Midnight Meeting

**Chapter 23- Tryouts and A Midnight Meeting**

Silence echoed in the compartment after Sirius had left; Remus was the first one to speak.

'We're going to have to wait and see what happens, there's nothing we can do' he said. Diana sighed and put her head in her hands.

'I feel as if we're letting her down' she said, Lily nodded as a tear fell down her cheek.

'We have to do _something_' she said, James put an arm around her shoulder.

'We will. But for now we can't do anything' he said, Lily stood up and walked out. James sighed and frowned at Remus who was trying to keep a straight face.

'What?' he asked.

'Nothing, James. Nothing' Remus said shaking his head. There was a long pause where everyone was left to their own thoughts.

'Well we'll have to see if anyone else wants to get on the team. Mark's left and Kathy resigned to put more effort into her NEWTs. God help us I dunno if we'll be able to find a seeker as good as she was' James said.

'Look James, I know you're pleased at making Captain but please I don't want to hear about Quidditch for the rest of the journey' Remus said.

'You made Captain?' a voice asked from the door; everyone turned to look at them.

Kas slowed down to a walk when she reached the Florettes compartment; she stepped inside and pulled the door closed then she sat down next to the window and rested her head on the cold glass. She heard the compartment door open.

'Go away Sirius' she muttered, he sat down beside her,

'Not this time' he said, he turned her face so she was looking into his dark eyes. She tried to look away but he kept a firm hold on her face.

'Let me go' she said. Sirius sighed and let her go. She stood and made to go out of the door.

'Will you go out with me?' he asked. Kas stood in shock and turned round to face him.

'You can't be serious' she said. Sirius smiled slightly.

'I've never been more serious' he said. She shook her head.

'He'd kill you, your family would kill you, and we'd have to split up in the end anyway. Not to mention the part of your family I'm marrying into would kill you; did I mention Harstone would kill you as well?'

Sirius smiled again and took a step closer.

'Yeah you did. But see that's where a little hitch comes in. _I don't care_' he said. Kas looked into his eyes.

'Sirius I can't see you killed because of me' she said.

'Kas, I don't care because I love you' he said quietly, he took another step so they were inches apart. Kas couldn't believe what she was hearing.

'Sirius-'

'Kas. We can keep it as secret as you want _I don't care_' he said. Kas sighed and looked away and out of the window.

'We'd have to act as we have been before. We wouldn't be able to tell anyone, not even the Florettes or the Marauders. You'd have to go on roping in all the girls. Nothing could change, we'd have to meet in secret' she said finally. She turned and smiled at Sirius.

'Just promise me one thing. When it comes to fifth year we have to stop. We can't carry on after I get married, I won't even be able to send any of you letters-'

She didn't get any further because Sirius had taken that moment in her speech to kiss her; she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. The door opened and a red head stepped in.

'Oh… shall I go back out?' Lily said; Kas and Sirius jumped apart as if they'd been burnt.

'Lily-'

'Sirius, out. Me and Kas need a girl talk' Lily said and pushed him out, 'We'll be out in a moment.'

Lily closed the door and turned to face Kas, a smile on her face.

'Don't tell anyone. Please, Lils' Kas said. Lily gave her friend hug.

'Sorry, I kinda heard it all outside. I thought it was a good moment to come in. Looks like it was the worst' she said; Kas laughed and the two girls walked outside.

'Let's get back' Kas said, Lily nodded and the two girls joined Sirius outside and walked back to the compartment; they walked in just as Remus mentioned James getting Captain.

'You made Captain?' Kas asked, taking her old seat next to the window; Lily sat next to her and Sirius sat opposite them next to James. James nodded.

'We need a new Chaser and Seeker. Or we could need others, depends if anyone else dropped out and if we shuffle places around' James said, just then the train started to slow and they pulled up in Hogsmeade station. The group climbed out and grabbed one of the carriages up to the Entrance Hall and took their usual seats at the Gryffindor table.

'Hope the Sorting's not too long this year, I'm starving' Sirius said, Kas smiled and shook her head.

'Do you only think about you're stomach?' Rose asked; Sirius seemed to contemplate his answer but grinned at her.

'No I also think about Quidditch and hot girls' he said with a wink. James snorted next to him and clapped him on the back.

'Good answer mate' he said, Sirius grinned at him and they all fell silent as the first years were led into the hall and the Sorting began.

The next day saw the lessons start again and soon everyone was back into the swing of Hogwarts; it took Kas a grand total of one day to get back to normal, though only Lily knew why this was. Two weeks into the term and James put a message on the notice board saying that the Quidditch tryouts were on Saturday. The girls read the notice for the fifth time and then continued down to breakfast on Saturday morning.

'Anyone gonna try out?' Kas asked as they took their seats at the Gryffindor table.

'I'll stick with commentating' Diana said, the girls laughed.

'I can't fly very well' Emma said, Rose nodded.

'Someone's gotta be ready to take you to the hospital wing if you get hit by a Bludger or fall off you're broom' Lily said.

'And the day she falls off her broom is the day you agree to go out with James, Lily' Remus said as the Marauders sat down next to the Florettes; Sirius winked at Kas and Lily tried to hide her smile. Kas cuffed her over the back of the head and Lily grinned at her.

'Care to share?' James asked; this caused both girls to burst out laughing. The Marauders shared confused looks and Sirius shook his head and went back to his breakfast, a smile playing on his face.

'Ok, what do you know that we don't?' James asked his best friend.

'Jamie, what you don't know can't hurt you' Sirius said.

'Jamie? Siri I swear if you call me that again I _will_ push you off the top of the Astronomy Tower' James said, his eyebrows raised at his friend. Sirius clapped him on the back.

'And deny the female population of Hogwarts their favourite person?'

'I didn't realise James was being pushed off the tower' Diana retorted, everyone laughed at this, including Sirius.

'Well we better get to the tryouts' James said; he, Kas, Sirius and Remus were followed out of the great hall by Mike and soon they were dressed in their Quidditch robes and were doing a few laps around the pitch as they waited for the others to come. Ten minutes later they had a large group of people assembled on the pitch and the remaining members of the team flew down to meet them. Kas looked over the hopeful faces and saw a red head standing at the end of the line.

'Hey Wolf'

'I thought you said you weren't trying out' Kas said with a grin, Lily shrugged.

'Change of heart' Kas laughed and James got everyone to do three laps around the pitch. It was obvious most of the girls who were there to try out had never flown in their lives and had just gone to get a look at the Marauders in Quidditch robes; a few of the second years were also eliminated from the list. Soon there were 9 candidates left, including Lily, and considering she'd flown quite well Kas was sure she would do well in the try outs; she wouldn't be surprised if Lily got on the team, seeing as James was head over heels for her. They played a mock game of Quidditch; Remus and Lily played keeper, Kas and one of the candidates; Sirius, James and four candidates played chasers and Mike and three candidates played Beaters. They switched to different positions and soon there were only four left. James gathered the team together for a talk.

'Well we need two new positions: a Keeper and a Beater-'

'What?' Mike asked. James grinned.

'As of today I've decided to change some positions around' he said. Mike looked sceptical.

'So who's playing what position?'

'Chasers are me, Sirius and Remus' Remus grinned.

'Excellent' James grinned at his friend.

'We need another beater to play with Mike. We need a Keeper, and Kas is playing Seeker.'

Kas grinned like a Cheshire Cat.

'Serious?' she asked.

'Yeah what?' Sirius asked; Kas rolled her eyes.

'Yep. So who do you think should get the two positions?' James asked his team.

'That Kison kid has a good aim with the Bludger and plenty of strength. He might only be a second year but if we train him enough he'd be excellent' Mike said, Kas nodded in agreement.

'He's good; he could be the best in a year or two's time' she added. James grinned at them.

'My thoughts exactly. Now we just need to pick the Keeper. I thought either Evans or Dawson would be the better ones; they've both got quick reflexes. What do you say Rem, you've been our Keeper the last few years?'

'Personally I'd say Lily. We can always have Dawson as a sub. We're allowed to train them we just can't swap on in the middle of a game' Remus said. Looking at the rest of the team, who nodded, James grinned.

'That's it then. We're decided' he said, he led the team over to the group of waiting candidates.

'After discussing with the team we've decided on a Keeper and a Beater and also a sub as it was hard to choose between the three of you. The new Beater who will be joining Mike is Matt Kison, congratulations,'

Matt grinned at James as the others congratulated him.

'The new Keeper is Lily Evans, well done'

Lily grinned at Kas who grinned back.

'And the substitute will be Erin Dawson, well done everyone. Do try out next time you were all really good. Can the team stay behind for a talk about practises.'

James led the team back into the changing rooms where they sat and waited for him to give them his talk.

'Alright everyone, today's tryouts showed how much talent and much more possible talent we have on this team. Are there any days when we cannot have practises?'

'Me and Remus have got prefect meetings on Mondays and Thursdays' Lily said; James nodded.

'I've got a tutoring session with my sister in second year on Wednesdays' Erin said, she was in fourth year. James nodded again.

'Any others?' the team shook their heads, 'Ok they. Practises will be Friday and Saturday evenings, I'll send a message round if we have to change any of them. Just so we're all clear on our positions, this is mainly for our new team members: Sirius, Remus and myself are the Chasers, Lily is our new Keeper, Mike and Matt are our two Beaters, Kas is our new Seeker and Erin, you'll be our substitute incase something happens before a game. We can't bring on subs during the game unfortunatly. Kas can you sort Erin and Lily out with robes, Matt you come with me and I'll get you some robes as well. We'll have a practise on Tuesday next week so we can get into the swing of things and, unless the practise on Friday is bad we'll cancel this weeks Saturday practise' James said. Mike walked out as soon as he was finished and Kas took Lily and Erin into the girls changing rooms to find them some Quidditch robes. Erin's were easy to find, the first pair Kas picked up fitted her perfectly, she said a quick thank you and then ran off to Gryffindor Tower to meet her friends. Lily and Kas talked about the team while Kas tried to find some robes for Lily.

'Here try these ones' she said.

'So how are you and Sirius?' Lily asked with a grin. Kas looked at the door.

'_Lily' _she whispered.

'Sorry' she said. Kas grinned anyway.

'We're fine. Nothing bigs happened if that's what you're thinking' she said. Lily laughed and finished putting the robes on.

'Good thing the colour doesn't clash with your hair' Kas said with a grin. Lily pushed her playfully.

'Come on get changed and then we can head back up to school' Kas said.

Later that night Sirius made his way through the halls of Hogwarts, he reached the seventh floor. He looked around and then opened the door to the room of requirement; a few minutes later the door opened again and someone else entered the room that at that moment was similar to the Gryffindor common room but on a smaller scale. He grinned and walked up to them, wrapping his arms around their waist.

'Nice of you to join me' he said in their ear. They laughed.

'Very funny, Black. You try getting away from Emma without having to answer awkward questions'

Sirius laughed, 'but I'm worth it aren't I?'

They laughed, 'you're worth all the awkward questions her and Rose can fire at me.'

Sirius leant down and kissed her, holding her tight and running his hand up and down her spine. He picked her up bridal style and carried her to the sofa. Kas laughed and rested her head against his chest.

'I love you, Kas'

'I love you too, Sirius.'

_A/N: Okay so the last bit was a little bit obvious but hey I felt like putting it in. Kas has gotta have some fun hasn't she? No? Well then you're all mean gits, lol. What did you think of this chapter? Please review you know I love it when I get to read reviews. Next chapter up A.S.A.P_

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx_


	25. Quidditch Practise and the Rehearsal Roo

**Chapter 24- Quidditch Practice and The Rehearsal Room**

Lily woke up on Tuesday morning and looked over at the others sleeping in their beds, Kas was sitting by the window looking out over towards the Quidditch pitch, she turned to look at her friend when she heard her stir.

'Ready for practise later?' she asked; Lily grinned.

'You bet, I can't wait. It's my chance to try and show Potter up by saving all his shots.' Lily said, Kas laughed and the two girls got dressed and went down for breakfast. After about ten minutes Remus joined them.

'Hey girls' he said, yawning hugely.

'Didn't you get a lot of sleep?' Lily asked, Remus shook his head.

'Peter got to sleep before the rest of us and he snores like crazy, we can't get to sleep if we're not asleep before him.' he explained, the two smiled sympathetically and the three of them continued eating breakfast. Rose joined them after a while and the three girls made their way to their first class, hoping the twins hadn't overslept too much.

& & & & & & & &

Lily yawned and stretched as the girls sat in the common room doing their homework; she looked at the clock on the common room wall and nudged Kas.

'Fifteen minutes till we need to go.' she said, Kas rolled her eyes.

'Lily you've been giving me updates every ten minutes for the past hour, will you _please relax_. You'll be fine.' Kas said, Emma grinned at her two friends.

'Nervous about flying in front of Potter are we Tiger? You should have seen her ten minutes before the tryouts she was shaking like a leaf. We only managed to calm her down by saying she could always whack a Bludger at Potter if she didn't make it!' Emma said, Lily stuck her tongue out at her and Emma laughed.

'Someone say my name?' a voice said behind the couch that Kas and Lily were sitting on, they looked up and saw James and Sirius standing above them; Remus went and sat next to Diana on the twin's sofa and Peter went to the armchair opposite Rose. Sirius and James sat between Lily and Kas and Lily had to hide a snort behind a cough.

'Ready for the practice?' James asked; Kas snorted.

'Yeah right, she's-'

But Lily had leapt over James and Sirius and had planted a hand firmly over Kas' mouth.

'We're ready.' she said giving Kas a glare. Kas smiled sweetly.

'Ah Lily you know I live to embarrass you.' Kas said, Lily grinned.

'Yeah but you see if you embarrass me that way I embarrass you with a little secret I found out about at the beginning of term…' Lily trailed off with a grin. Kas seemed to think for a moment then grinned herself; Sirius and James were looking from one to the other as if it was a tennis match.

'Well Lily, I think I might win this because you see I have some photographic evidence of a very amusing dare you once did a few summers ago and it just so happens that the pictures are in easy reach…'

Kas reached into her bag and brought out a set of photos that she showed to Lily, no one else could see what they showed but they had a good idea when Lily went bright red.

'You show those pictures to _anyone_ and I will make sure you pay for it!' Lily said; Kas laughed and threw an arm over her friend's shoulders.

'Lily; you know the only way these would be shown is if both you _and _James severely tick me off' she said. By the way James went bright red it appeared he had worked out what the pictures showed; everyone else burst out laughing. James coughed slightly and stood up.

'Well we better get to Quidditch practise, come on guys.' he said. Diana and Emma exchanged grins and they, Rose and Peter bid the others goodbye and watched them leave through the portrait hole after collecting their brooms from their dorms. James and Remus led the party with Lily a few steps behind; they were talking about some kind of tactics while Kas and Sirius followed a little way behind; Sirius stretched and yawned.

'Tired by any chance?' Kas asked; Sirius grinned.

'Nah just can't be bothered to go to lessons tomorrow. They're so _boring._ Do you realise that old _hag_ who's supposed to teach us Divination has decided to give us a _dream diary_. I can never remember what I dream about for god's sake!' he ranted, Kas laughed.

'Take Emma and Rose's approach and make up anything that could be interpreted as good and see if she can make it bad. According to them she usually can even when Emma was dreaming about making out with a guy she said Professor Tarron told her she'd end up a widow by three husbands. Apparently Rose had to pretend to have dropped something under the table so the teacher wouldn't see her laughing!' Kas said, Sirius laughed and Lily dropped back to talk to them.

'So what you two lovebirds up to?' she said with a grin. Kas rolled her eyes and shook her head.

'You're not going to listen are you?' she asked, Lily grinned and shook her head. Kas laughed at her friend and the group finally reached the pitch. They separated into their different changing rooms and changed into their Quidditch robes. Erin walked in about three minutes after Kas and Lily had finished getting changed and the three girls spent about five minutes talking to each other until they heard James calling them out onto the pitch. Kas, Lily and Erin walked out laughing and mounted their brooms to join in the warm up lap around the Quidditch pitch. Once they arrived back (ahead of the rest of the team) James got everyone into groups; he, Remus and Sirius would practise passing and would fire shots at Lily; Matt and Mike would practise passing a Bludger between them and Kas and Erin would both try and catch the Snitch. Erin would also be swapped round to different positions to get her trained in all of them. James let out a Bludger that Matt and Mike set to work on passing between them, he let out the Snitch and Kas and Erin gave it a head start before they went after it, calling suggestions to each other as they went. He threw the Quaffle into the air and saw Lily get into position in front of the rings.

Sirius, Remus and James tried some easy passes to each other to warm up and then tried some different formations, all the time heading towards Lily at the goal posts; the fact that the three of them were like brothers made it easier for them to predict each other's positions. Lily looked at them passing the Quaffle with precision and ease and couldn't help but smile; James had done the right thing choosing the three Marauders of the team to work together, they'd be unstoppable in a game; she saw Sirius coming towards her left hoop with the Quaffle under his arm, eyes fixed on the hoops. She tensed up, ready to fly to the left hoop and then stopped.

_Hang on, this is Sirius we're talking about. He wouldn't do the obvious thing, would he? _The moment of indecision stopped her and instead she swayed side to side in front of the hoops slightly waiting for the shot to come. Miraculously he aimed for the centre hoop and she was able to turn and catch the Quaffle easily.

'Good save, Lily' James called, she smiled despite herself and threw the Quaffle to Remus who threw it behind him to James, who flew forwards and threw it towards the right hoop. Lily didn't manage to catch it but she managed to hit it away from the hoops at least. James grinned at her.

'A few saves like that in a game and the other team don't stand a chance.' he said. Kas came up behind her on her broom.

'I saw that blush even if he didn't.' Kas said with an evil grin. Lily shoved her friend in the back, laughing, and Kas flew off again in search of the Snitch.

Erin and Kas were doing well with the Snitch; they took it in turns to chase after it while the other gave them suggestions on how to improve their technique. After about fifteen minutes James blew his whistle and told Erin to try joining in handling the Bludger with the two boys.

Everything seemed to be going fine until near the end of the practise, the Bludger that Mike, Matt and Erin were hitting back and forth went flying towards Mike who hit it off onto the pitch. It flew straight into Sirius' stomach and lifted him off his broom.

'Sirius!' a scarlet blur started to follow him down to the ground and managed to get a grip on his robes and pull him onto the other broom before he hit the ground. James landed and helped his friend onto the ground, the rest of the team came around as Mike started to wrestle the Bludger back into the box; only Lily, who was passing him as he was putting it back into the box, saw the triumphant smile on his face.

'Sirius, you ok mate?' James asked, Sirius nodded but started a coughing fit a moment later.

'Just winded.' he managed to gasp out.

'Here;' Lily conjured a goblet, '_Aguamenti_!' The goblet filled with water and she handed it to him.

'Thanks.' he said and drained the goblet it a few mouthfuls.

'Alright, everyone practice is over!' James said; he and Remus helped their friend into the changing rooms; Lily and Kas followed behind the rest of the team, Lily keeping a close eye on Mike.

Lily was getting changed slowly on purpose; she wanted Erin to leave so she could talk to Kas. Finally the blonde left and Lily turned to Kas.

'Kas, I don't think Mike hit that Bludger towards Sirius by accident. He was smiling as he was putting that Bludger back in the crate; who smiles when one of their team mates has just fallen about 50ft and is coughing like crazy on the ground?' Lily asked; Kas looked at her and then sighed.

'I know; he's too good to have let that Bludger fly off course and not have hit it back towards the others. But what can we do? We can't exactly tell James can we? He'd kick him off the team and then we'd be a Beater short. True, Erin would stand in for him but Beater isn't her best position.' Kas answered; Lily frowned.

'What if he tries it again?' Lily asked, Kas sighed.

'We'll just have to keep our eyes open.' she answered. Lily nodded. Kas was right; they couldn't do a lot about it, their first game against Slytherin was in a week on Saturday and they couldn't afford to train a new Beater who wasn't good already. Lily smiled to herself when she realised just how much more she was enjoying Quidditch now she was on the team.

'I'll see you later, I need to get up to the castle.' Kas said, Lily grinned at her.

'Night time meeting with someone?' she asked, Kas grinned and shook her head.

'No, homework.' she answered. Lily raised her eyebrows and Kas winked at her. The two girls laughed and Kas walked out of the door.

Once outside Kas was heading towards the castle when someone grabbed her arm.

'Kas, can I talk to you?' Mike asked her, she looked at him and then nodded, he led her into the room they met in for James' talks before practices and games.

'Kas, this may seem a little odd timing, but… will you go out with me?' he asked, Kas sighed and looked at him.

'I'm sorry Mike but I can't.' she answered. Mike frowned and narrowed his eyes.

'Already got a boyfriend? Is that it?' he asked, he sounded angry. Kas shook her head.

'It's complicated. I'm sorry.' with that she turned and walked out, meeting Lily on the other side.

'I'm just gonna put my broom away then I'll be up in the common room. You ok?' he heard Lily ask her.

'Yeah I'm fine.' he heard Kas answer. Frowning he waited until he was sure Kas was gone and then walked outside.

Lily watched Kas until she had disappeared from sight into the Entrance Hall and then walked over to the broom shed where she placed her broom ready for the next practice and then turned to walk back up to the castle. Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her behind the shed and into the forest. She was pinned against a tree and a hand clamped over her mouth.

'What have you said to Kas?'

Lily shook her head, she was scared. Why had Mike pulled just pulled her into the forest and pinned her against a tree?

'Don't lie to me, Evans.' he growled, 'I know you're her best friend; now what have you told her about me? Do you think I'd try and purposefully hit Black with that Bludger during practice? Well then you're smarter than I thought, aren't you?'

A twig snapped behind Mike and he turned around, letting go of her. She stepped to the side and saw a wand light pointing at them.

'What's going on?' a voice asked.

'Nothing, me and Evans were just having a little talk.' he turned to face Lily and gave her a look to keep quiet.

'See you around.' and with that he was gone.

'Lily, you ok?' the wand holder asked her.

'James?' she asked, he lowered his wand and Lily saw a head of messy black hair and a pair of hazel eyes in the dark.

'Yeah, it's me. You ok? What was all that about?' he asked walking up to her. She shook her head and looked at Mike's retreating back as they walked out of the forest.

'Nothing.' she said quietly. He stopped walking and took hold of her arm.

'I'm not stupid, Lily. What happened?'

'Nothing, it's not my place to say. Don't worry, ok?' she turned and started walking back to the castle. James sighed and jogged to catch up.

'Come on, we better hurry or else we'll be walking around outside curfew and you wouldn't want that would you?' he asked grinning. Lily looked at him and then grinned.

'Or you could show me Hogwarts by night.' Lily said with a grin. James looked at her with raised eyebrows.

'Are you feeling ok?' he asked, placing a hand on her forehead, 'I thought you hated breaking the rules.'

Lily laughed. 'Believe it or not I've broken quite a few rules in my time!' she retorted. James grinned and reached into his pocket.

'In that case Miss Evans you'll have to tell me about them as we go. Come on, get under here.' he said, throwing a cloak over both of them.

'What's this?' she asked. James grinned at her.

'This, my fair lady, is the secret of our success. It's an invisibility cloak. And don't even think about telling anyone about it or I'll ask Kas for some information for revenge.' Lily laughed quietly as they reached the Entrance Hall.

'Come on, I'll take you to the Room Of Requirement, you'll find it interesting.' he told her and steered her towards the seventh floor.

James jumped out from under the cloak and ran back and forth in front of a stretch of wall and a door appeared. Lily threw the cloak off her and James took her hand and led her into a room that was similar to the Gryffindor common room, including two people sat on one of the couches. Lily cursed silently and tried to drag James back out through the door but he had already seen them.

'Sirius? What the-'

Sirius turned round as if he'd been burnt on the butt with a red hot poker.

'Kas?' James asked, Lily cursed quietly behind him.

'Sorry, I didn't know you were in here.' he said sheepishly. Kas smiled and stood up.

'It's ok Lily.' she said, Sirius and James were looking at each other.

'I won't tell, mate.' James said, Sirius smiled and wrapped his best friend in a brotherly hug.

'Cheers. You understand don't you?'

'Yeah, course I do.' James said, he started grinning. 'Just as long as I get to be the godfather for your kids.'

Sirius laughed. 'As long as I'm the godfather to yours.'

'Deal!' the two boys shook hands laughing.

'I feel so sorry for the girls who have your kids.' Lily said, Kas laughed and the four friends went to sit on the couches again. Lily suddenly grinned at Kas.

'I think we found our new rehearsal room.'

Kas grinned at her friend. 'All we need to do know is work out some songs.' she said. The two boys exchanged curious looks before they set off for the common room.

_A/N: Hey thanks for the reviews. The next chapter should be up soon, though no promises as to the time. Please review_

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx _


	26. The First Rehearsal, First Game, And Fir

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing you recognise and I do not own any of the songs used during the rehearsals and the performances unless I say I do.

A/N: I'm gonna have some old and new music in here and please don't yell at me about musical taste, I like almost everything personally so there's gonna be a bit of most stuff in here. Anyway on with the story,

**Chapter 25- The First Rehearsal, First Game, and First Performance**

'So what are we gonna try and play first?' Diana asked. The five girls were in the Room of Requirement on Wednesday evening and they were looking over the instruments that they had been supplied with by the Room.

'Anyone know any songs they like that we could start off with?' Emma asked; Lily looked at Kas.

'What's that one you sometimes sing to us when we're half asleep after having a nightmare or something?' she asked; Kas looked at her surprised.

'You know about that? I didn't think any of you know I did that' Kas said; judging by the shocked expressions on Emma, Diana and Rose's faces they didn't either.

'Well, okay I was awake a few times. But what's it called anyway?' Lily asked. Kas sighed.

'I think it's called "Like the Rose" but don't quote me on it' she said, a stack of music appeared and Kas looked through one of them.

'Yeah, this is the right stuff. Anything else we like. Maybe we should each choose a song' Kas suggested.

'That's a great idea' Rose said, 'Does anyone like "Too Much Love Will Kill You"?'

A stack appeared and Rose looked through it, reading the different parts and humming bits of the tune to herself.

'Di, Em, Lils. Any songs you guys like?' Kas asked them. Soon they had another three songs and the rehearsal began. Rose went to the keyboard and started to play her own part while Emma and Diana practised theirs, meanwhile Kas and Lily set about trying to learn the words; Kas had already asked McGonagall if she could write to her guardian and ask for the holiday she spent at Hogwarts to be changed and Harstone had agreed. Kas wasn't sure how much persuading he had needed. After half an hour they decided to try and run through one of their songs.

Two hours later the Marauders were sitting by the fire plotting their next prank when the portrait opened and the Florettes came in.

'Hey!' Diana said when she saw them; the girls made their way over. Sirius tucked the plans out of sight.

'Where've you lot been?' he asked as Kas sat next to him; James sniggered which caused him to have a few odd looks sent his way.

'What?'

Remus shook his head; sometimes he just didn't want to know what went through his friend's heads.

'Out' Kas replied in answer to Sirius' question. The boys raised their eyebrows.

'Where's out?' Remus asked.

'Nowhere' Diana answered, sounding innocent.

'Now I'm worried' Remus said.

'When's the first match?' Emma asked.

'Saturday; we got plenty of time don't worry' Lily answered taking out her Charm's essay.

'Ok what the hell is going on?' James asked. Lily looked at him with raised eyebrows.

'James, my friend, what you don't know can't hurt you' Rose answered for Lily.

'Come on girls lets get upstairs. We're gonna have a late night tomorrow' Emma said, the other girls murmured agreement and they followed their friend upstairs.

Saturday dawned bright and cheerful; the Marauders were anticipating the match and their latest prank, the Florettes were awake with nerves of the match and their first performance. The Florettes dressed in silence and then walked down the stairs to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Lily sat down between Diana and Rose and poured herself some orange juice. She reached for some toast but a lump had formed in her throat and she just left it on her plate.

'Come on, Lils, eat something' Rose coaxed putting some scrambled eggs and bacon onto Lily's plate. Lily looked at it and felt sick.

'I don't think I can' she said. Kas looked over at her friend.

'Lily, if you don't eat there is no way you're gonna get through that game' she said sternly. Lily swallowed some more juice. The other girls looked at each other.

'Please, Lils' Emma said. Lily shook her head.

'What if I mess up?' she asked weakly, staring at her plate.

'If anyone on that pitch will mess up it'll be the Slytherins' a voice said behind Diana. The girls looked up into the handsome, smiling face of James Potter. The Marauders sat down with the girls and started to help themselves to some food. Lily looked at the Marauders' full plates and pushed hers away.

'Why do I suddenly feel ill?' she asked no one in particular.

'Nerves' Kas answered, 'don't worry about it Lils. Look on the bright side: they can only aim Bludgers at you if the Quaffle's in the scoring area.'

If it was possible Lily paled even more. Kas rolled her eyes.

'Lily we've got two of the best beaters in the school on our team, don't worry. Just make sure the Quaffle stays away from the hoops and you'll be fine' Kas said. Lily smiled a bit and nodded, she picked up a slice of toast and proceeded to take small bites out of it every so often. After about ten minutes James finally stood up.

'Alright team, head to the changing room!' he called down the Gryffindor table; the rest of the team grabbed their brooms and started to follow him to the changing rooms. Kas walked beside Lily all the way down to the pitch and tried to engage her friend in a conversation that didn't include Quidditch. The two girls changed into their Quidditch robes and then walked into the prep room to hear James' first pre match talk. Soon the whole team was assembled and James cleared his throat, looking more nervous at that moment than he ever had done before a Quidditch match.

'I'm not going to bore you with tactics right now. We don't need them at this moment, you know why? 'Cos this is the best bloody team I've seen in my time at Hogwarts! We've got two unbeatable Beaters' he said looking at Mike and Matt, 'two superb Chasers-'

'Three, mate' Remus said, grinning.

'Three superb Chasers' Lily finished for Remus; Kas stuffed her hand in her mouth to stop herself from laughing; Lily nudged her discreetly in the ribs and Kas managed to keep a straight face for her friend's sake.

'Anyway as I was saying… we have a brilliant Keeper' James continued, Lily turned almost as red as her hair.

'And an outstanding Seeker,' Kas smiled at James as he continued his speech.

'The point is if those Slytherins think that we're gonna be a pushover and they've got a nice easy game ahead of them they've got another thing coming. I'm not saying it's going to be an easy game for us. The Slytherin crowd knows how to distract players. WE've just got to keep our attention on the game and not let the taunts and jibes distract us,' James looked at his team and then grinned, 'If we screw up badly I'll let you all blame me; but you're not going to have to do that because I know you're not going to screw up. Now let's go out there and kick some Slytherin butt!'

The team cheered and followed James out onto the pitch. Whatever Lily had been expecting it wasn't the flow of adrenaline she felt then; her nerves vanished and she held her head up as she walked out into the bright sunlight next to Kas. The crowds cheered as the Gryffindor team walked out into the centre of the pitch, the Slytherin team was already there. Lily heard Diana call out the team's names.

'Here's the Gryffindor team! New Captain: Potter, followed by Black, Lupin, Peterson, Kison, Evans, and Starsword. A bit of shuffling of positions and new blood in this year's team' Diana said from the commentator's box. Lily looked into the stands and saw Emma and Rose leaning over the edge of one of the stands and waving at her and Kas; she grinned and looked back to Mrs Filler who had just walked out onto the pitch with the Quaffle under her arm.

'Captains shake hands' Mrs Filler said, Lily watched James walk forwards and shake hands with a sixth year Slytherin she thought was called Nott. It looked as if both of them were trying to break each other's fingers. They pulled their hands away and walked back to their teams; James face was set as he mounted his broom and faced the Slytherins again; his team followed his example. Mrs Filler threw the Quaffle into the air and blew her whistle.

'And they're off!' Diana said as Lily flew over to the goal hoops and held her broom steady.

'And it's Narcissa Black for Slytherin who takes the Quaffle; passed to Malfoy, back to Black; good interception by Black of Gryffindor there! Passes to Lupin, Potter who shoots… Intercepted by Keeper Regulus Black, passed to Nott-'

And so it continued. The Quaffle was continuously passed between the Chasers but neither team could get close enough to try and score since James' first attempt. Lily kept a keen eye on the Quaffle and tried not to listen to the taunts from the Slytherin crowd behind her.

'Why'd they use Evans as the keeper?'

'She can't save anything to save her life!'

She saw Malfoy flying towards her with the Quaffle under his arm; Lily took a deep breath and kept her eyes on Malfoy. The taunts seemed to increase in volume from the Slytherin crowd behind her; Malfoy threw the Quaffle and it went sailing towards the left hoop. Lily flew towards it and caught it easily; the boos from the Slytherin crowd almost drowned out the cheers from the Gryffindor crowd. She smiled slightly and threw the Quaffle to James.

'Easy save there from Keeper Evans-' there was a lot of booing from the Slytherin crowd 'It's the truth!' Diana said indignantly. The Gryffindor crowd laughed.

'Passed to Potter, Lupin, Potter, Black, Lupin, Potter, Lupin. Black, Potter, Black again. He shoots… HE SCORES! 10-0 to Gryffindor!'

James and Sirius high-fived as Regulus Black took the Quaffle and threw it to Malfoy. James stole a quick glance at Kas and saw her hovering around the pitch trying to catch sight of the Snitch, and then he turned back to the game and snatched the Quaffle out of the air as Malfoy passed to Narcissa.

Kas was flying slowly around the pitch trying to catch sight of the Snitch; Bellatrix was tagging her and looking for the Snitch herself. Kas tried to keep her mind on the Snitch and off the rest of the game.

'Oi Starsword heard you're getting married. Congratulations! I hear it's my fourth cousin isn't it?' Bellatrix jeered. Kas felt her blood boil and it took all her self control not to turn around and hit Bellatrix. There was a roar from the Slytherin crowd as Malfoy scored a goal against Gryffindor. Lily threw the Quaffle to Remus who passed it to James; Goyle sent a Bludger towards him and it almost unseated him as it flew into his stomach. He dropped the Quaffle, but luckily Sirius caught it and managed to score another goal for Gryffindor. The game seemed to get progressively dirtier as the minutes went by. A few Bludgers were sent at Kas and Bellatrix even though neither of them had seen the Snitch yet.

An hour into the game and the score was 90-80 to Slytherin; at least all of the players had been hit with the Bludgers at least twice. At one point after Remus had scored a goal, Goyle hit a Bludger at Lily as Regulus passed the Quaffle to Malfoy. This caused an uproar from the Gryffindor supporters as Lily clutched her arm where the Bludger had hit it; Kas was about to fly over when a glint of gold caught her eye. Kas stole a quick look at Bellatrix and saw she was applauding Goyle for the attack on Lily; Kas smiled to herself as she dived towards the tiny golden ball. As she dove towards it on her broom it seemed as if the rest of the world melted away and it was only the tiny ball hovering about 2 feet off the ground was the only thing that mattered. She heard Bellatrix diving after her and she heard the crowds go quiet as the two Seekers sped after the tiny golden ball. Kas extended her arm as Bellatrix did the same a second after her and the two seekers came neck and neck. To the right Kas heard a Bludger speeding towards her and she sped up; she couldn't go off course now and let Bellatrix get the Snitch. She pushed Bellatrix's arm out of the way before closing her fingers around the tiny golden ball; Kas didn't have time to pull out of the dive and she had to leap off her broom to stop from crashing face first into the ground. The Bludger made contact with the ground inches from her face just seconds after she had landed. Screams erupted from the Gryffindor supporters as she held the tiny ball up in the air.

James and Remus landed next to her a minute after she had caught it and she turned, grinning to a beaming James.

'Good enough first game, Captain?' she asked with a grin. James laughed.

'It'll do' he said. The team laughed and Kas gave James a hug before turning to Remus. She saw Lily arrive a minute or so after James and Remus. She ran to her friend.

'You ok Tiger?' she asked, Lily nodded.

'I'll be ok. Just a small whack' she said, Kas noticed she had a green tinge to her face. She took out her wand, that she always had in her Quidditch robes now, and performed a quick healing charm. Lily smiled her thanks before Sirius came and wrapped Kas in a bone crushing hug.

'Hi Sirius' Kas said laughing.

'You were amazing, babe' he said quietly and Kas laughed. The rest of the team joined them. James turned to Lily after congratulating Matt on his game.

'You ok?' he asked her looking at her arm worriedly. Lily smiled and nodded.

'Kas fixed me up. What about you, you took some nasty hits in that game?' Lily asked, James laughed and shook his head.

'I'm used to it now. Just a few more bruises to add to the collection' he laughed. Lily laughed with him before the Gryffindor supporters flooded onto the pitch.

An hour or so later and everyone was seated in the Great Hall for lunch; as people started to get ready to leave the Slytherin team suddenly stood up and climbed onto their table; they proceeded to start performing the kan-kan and, when they'd finished, they took a bow and then their robes turned scarlet and they held up their hands where a large banner appeared above them with the slogan 'Gryffindor rules! Slytherin sucks!' written across it. The entire hall burst into laughter, except the Slytherins, and started to applaud. A group of Gryffindors left with the Marauders so that it would be harder for the teachers to get to them and punish them for the prank.

'Gryffindor party in the common room!' Sirius bellowed over the crowd; Gryffindor cheered and soon most of the house was in the common room. The Florettes were in their dorm room, almost all of them shaking with nerves. Rose looked at her four best friends.

'Well let's get the party started' she said with a grin. Diana looked a little sick.

'It already is… how about we forget this whole thing?' she suggested.

'No way! We've worked too hard to quit at the first hurdle' Rose said. She looked over at Kas and Lily.

'Come on you two you've just played an excellent Quidditch match in front of the whole school and now you're worried about singing in front of the house?' she demanded; Lily and Kas looked at each other and Kas smiled slightly.

'I never said I wanted to quit, I'm just not sure we're going to be able to get down the stairs to perform it' Kas said. Lily took a deep breath and stood up.

'Come on guys, we can do it. Whose with me for going down and doing it now?' she asked; Rose smiled at her friend and stood up, Kas stood up behind Lily. The three girls looked at the twins.

'Come on guys, we can't do it without you' Rose said; Diana and Emma looked at each other and nodded.

'OK, let's go give them a show to remember' Emma said, she smiled and stood up followed closely by her twin and the five girls walked down the stairs together. When they reached the bottom Kas went over to Remus and dragged him over to them; he grinned slightly, they'd agreed to let one other person know about their band and to help announce them, and who better to do it than one of the Marauders?

'You guys ready, or are you gonna hide in your dorm for the rest of the night?' Remus asked with a grin; Rose nodded.

'We're ready' she told him; he nodded.

'Alright let me get James and Sirius to help with the quietening down of the room' Remus said and went off with a huge grin on his face. He whispered something into Sirius' ear and he nodded.

'ALRIGHT EVERYONE SHUT UP!' Sirius roared, as predicted the whole room fell silent. Remus cleared his throat and muttered a spell and his voice was magically magnified.

'For your entertainment I'm pleased to give you our very own Hogwarts band… The Florettes!' Remus said, people started to applaud and Remus flicked his wand so there was a spotlight on a clear space where a drum kit, keyboard and bass guitar with amplifier stood. Emma, Diana and Rose walked over to their instruments followed by Kas who gave Lily a small shove and the two girls arrived in front of the two microphones at the front of the area; turning around Lily mouthed something to the other three who nodded. Diana and Rose started to play the introduction and then the others came in.

(_For who is singing I'll put K in front of it for Kas and L in front of it for Lily… you get the idea. Like the notes they pass during class and stuff… anyway… oh and O is for when Diana, Emma and Rose are singing, B is for both Lily and Kas, and A is for all)_

K: _It's a heartache, nothing but a heartache  
Hits you when it's too late, hits you when you're down  
It's a fools' game, nothing but a fool's game  
Standing in the cold rain, feeling like a clown_

_  
_Everyone had started to clap as the song began and soon people were dancing in front of the area that had now been raised slightly so it was a type of stage._  
L: It's a heartache, nothing but a heartache  
Love him 'till your arms break, then he'll let you down  
It ain't right with love to share  
When you find he doesn't care for you  
It ain't wise to need someone as much as I depended on you  
_

Kas looked at Lily and the two girls grinned at each other before starting on the chorus of the song:_  
_B: _Oh, it's heartache, nothing but a heartache  
Hits you when it's too late, hits you when you're down  
It's a fool's game, nothing but a fool's game  
Standing in the cold rain, feeling like a clown_

K: _It ain't right with love to share  
_L: _When you find he doesn't care for you  
_B: _It ain't wise to need someone as much as I depended on you  
Oh, it's a heartache, nothing but a heartache_

_You love him 'till your arms break, then he'll let you down  
_

L: _It's a fool's game _

_Standing in the cold rain, feeling like a clown_

K: _It's a heartache_

_Love him 'till your arms break_

B: _Then he'll let you down_

The girls stopped playing and the room burst into applause; the girls couldn't wipe the grins off their faces as they heard a few voices at the back of the room (_hmm… wonder who that could be…)_ calling for more. This time Diana came up and whispered something in Kas and Lily's ears, the two singers nodded and then grinned as Diana walked back to her place. The intro started up and everyone went back to dancing along to their music as Kas started to sing.

K: _I've known a few guys who thought they were pretty smart  
But you've got being right down to an art  
You think you're a genius-you drive me up the wall  
You're a regular original, a know-it-all  
Oh-oo-oh, you think you're special  
Oh-oo-oh, you think you're something else _

Okay, so you're a rocket scientist  
B: _That don't impress me much  
So you got the brain but have you got the touch  
Don't get me wrong, yeah I think you're alright  
But that won't keep me warm in the middle of the night  
That don't impress me much_

L:_I never knew a guy who carried a mirror in his pocket  
And a comb up his sleeve-just in case  
And all that extra hold gel in your hair oughtta lock it  
'Cause Heaven forbid it should fall outta place _

Oh-oo-oh, you think you're special  
Oh-oo-oh, you think you're something else

Okay, so you're Brad Pitt  
B: _That don't impress me much  
So you got the looks but have you got the touch  
Don't get me wrong, yeah I think you're alright  
But that won't keep me warm in the middle of the night  
That don't impress me much_

K: _You're one of those guys who likes to shine his machine  
You make me take off my shoes before you let me get in  
I can't believe you kiss your car good night  
C'mon baby tell me-you must be jokin', right!_

Oh-oo-oh, you think you're special  
Oh-oo-oh, you think you're something else 

Okay, so you've got a car  
B: _That don't impress me much  
So you got the moves but have you got the touch  
Don't get me wrong, yeah I think you're alright  
But that won't keep me warm in the middle of the night_

L: _That don't impress me much  
_K: _You think you're cool but have you got the touch  
_B: _Don't get me wrong, yeah I think you're alright  
But that won't keep me warm on the long, cold, lonely night  
That don't impress me much_

L:_ Okay, so what do you think you're Elvis or something...  
Whatever  
_K: _That don't impress me_

Again the common room broke into applause as the song ended; Lily and Kas walked to the back of the stage where the girls started to have a quick talk about which songs to do and how many more to do for the remainder of the night.

_A/N: Ok so I really can't be bothered to have all of the songs in this chapter so I'm spreading the rest of the party over the next one or possibly two chapter. Hope you enjoyed it! Thank you to my reviewers and thank you to my readers for being so patient with me, I love you all!_

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx_


	27. The Show Must Go On

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing you recognise and I do not own any of the songs used during the rehearsals and the performances unless I say I do.

**Chapter 26- The Show Must Go On**

'We can't do too many tonight, we won't survive that long' Rose said, Diana laughed and agreed with her friend.

'Alright well we can do another three and then stop and if they want us to do more we'll do more later on' Emma said, the others agreed and they returned to their positions on the stage. Rose started to play a slow introduction and Kas performed a quick spell to dim the lights slightly before the introduction was over.

L: _Every little word  
With every lesson learned  
I think I know why hearts are made of stone   
_K: _Every little pain  
Fans a bitter flame  
Nothing stops me loving you _

L: _Can't you see that we belong  
Oh how I want it to be  
So tell me do you feel the way I feel_

B: _Baby like the rose  
Oh darling you put colour in my life  
Baby take my heart forever  
_K: _Cause I don't wanna be afraid  
No no_

L: _Turn another page  
The story will never fade  
Sleep with thoughts of you until daylight   
_K: _And when you're far away  
Forever love will stay  
Keep this loving feeling deep inside_

L: _Can't you see that we belong  
Oh how I want it to be  
So tell me do you feel the way I feel  
_

B: _Baby like the rose  
Oh darling you put colour in my life  
Baby take my heart forever  
_K: _Cause I don't wanna be afraid  
No no _

O: _oh-oo- oh-oo_

_Oh- oo oh-oo_

_Oh-oo oh-oo_

B: _Baby like the rose  
Oh darling you put colour in my life  
Baby take my heart forever  
_K: _Cause you're the colour in my life_

L: _Oh-oo oh_

B: _Like the rose_

Once again the Gryffindors applauded the five friends as the song ended and Diana started to play another introduction followed by Emma and Rose.

L: _I couldn't tell you why she felt that way,  
She felt it everyday.  
And I couldn't help her,  
I just watched her make the same mistakes again._

K: _What's wrong, what's wrong now?  
Too many, too many problems.  
Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs.  
_B: _She wants to go home, but nobody's home.  
It's where she lies, broken inside.  
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.  
Broken inside._

K: _Open your eyes and look outside, find the reasons why.  
You've been rejected, and now you can't find what you left behind.  
Be strong, be strong now.  
Too many, too many problems.  
Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs.  
_B:_ She wants to go home, but nobody's home.  
It's where she lies, broken inside.  
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.  
Broken inside._

L: _Her feelings she hides.  
Her dreams she can't find.  
She's losing her mind.  
She's fallen behind.  
She can't find her place.  
She's losing her faith.  
She's fallen from grace.  
She's all over the place.  
Yeah_

B: _She wants to go home, but nobody's home.  
It's where she lies, broken inside.  
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.  
Broken inside._

L: _She's lost inside, lost inside...oh oh  
_B: _She's lost inside, lost inside...oh oh yeah_

At the end of the song Lily spoke into the microphone.

'Okay people this is our last song of the night-'

Many boos met this statement and Kas laughed slightly.

'Ok ok we get the point! Fine… this is our last song for the moment and we'll come back later if we feel like being nice' Lily said, 'So here's the last song for the moment…'

K: _I'm just the pieces of the man I used to be  
Too many bitter tears are raining down on me   
I'm far away from home and I've been facing this alone for much too long  
_L:_ Oh, I feel like no-one ever told the truth to me  
About growing up and what a struggle it would be  
In my tangled state of mind, I've been looking back to find where I went wrong_

K: _Too much love will kill you, if you can't make up your mind  
Torn between the lover and the love you leave behind  
You're headed for disaster because you never read the signs  
Too much love will kill you every time_

L: _I'm just the shadow of the man I used to be  
And it seems like there's no way out of this for me  
I used to bring you sunshine now all I ever do is bring you down  
_K: _How would it be if you were standing in my shoes  
Can't you see that it's impossible to choose  
No there's no making sense of it  
Every way I go I'm bound to lose, oh yeah_

L: _Too much love will kill you, just as sure as none at all  
It'll drain the power that's in you, make you plead, and scream, and crawl  
And the pain will make you crazy, you're the victim of your crime  
Too much love will kill you every time_

B: _Yeah, too much love will kill you  
It'll make your life a lie, Yes too much love will kill you  
And you won't understand why, you'd give your life you'd sell your soul  
But here it comes again  
Too much love will kill you  
In the end...  
In the end_

The song finished and the girls walked off the stage and tried to get through the crowd of Gryffindors who were coming to congratulate them on their performance and many of them asking them to perform some more songs. The girls, laughing and talking, managed to get to the table where the drinks and snacks were being left; Lily looked over the drinks and saw a few bottles that looked suspiciously like Firewhisky at the back of the table.

'I don't _believe_ them!' Lily hissed to Kas, her friend looked at her questioningly, 'They've brought _Firewhisky _here where there's young kids who don't know how much alcohol they can hold and also a load of people that have less sense than they should have when they're around alcohol.'

Kas laughed, 'Oh Lils for god's sake lighten up it's just a bit of Firewhisky, no one's gonna die from a little bit of alcohol.'

Lily shrugged and walked off, Kas sighed and shook her head before looking to see Emma and Diana standing talking with a group of boys and Rose and Lily talking together; Sirius was surrounded by a group of giggling girls, Kas had to try and suppress a smile at the fact that he was doing as she asked and carrying on as normal, James was dancing with a girl on the dance floor as music pounded out of magical speakers, Remus was walking over to Diana and Emma, and Peter was sat by himself by the fire reading a book. Taking pity on him Kas walked over.

'What you reading?' she asked as she sat down opposite him, he closed the book quickly and put it out of sight but she caught sight of the title.

'Animagi? Why are you reading about Animagi? We don't have to study them again until the summer' Kas asked; suddenly she realised why the Marauders were being seen in the library a lot more, why they were off for longer periods of time than they had been before, and why they could usually be found coming from the general direction of the Room of Requirement.

'Just thought I'd get a bit of studying done before we covered them again' Peter said quickly. Kas smiled and nodded; she saw Mike walking over, swaying slightly. She sighed and realised that Lily could very well have been right about the Firewhisky after all. Kas stood up and made to walk over to Lily and Rose but Mike reached her before she could start to walk away.

'Hey Kas' he said, slurring his words slightly.

'Hi, Mike. Good game' she said, she was standing on the other side of the armchair to him.

'Look Kas, I really really like you; would you go out with me?' he asked again. Kas sighed.

'Mike you asked me this before and I'm giving you the same answer I did the first time. I can't, it's impossible' she answered; she turned to walk away but Mike grabbed her arm.

'No you don't, not this time' he snarled.

'Let go of me' Kas said trying to break his grip. Mike grabbed hold of her other arm.

'Let her go!' Lily said coming up behind Kas with Rose and taking out her wand.

'Bugger off Mudblood, I wasn't aware you were involved in this conversation' he spat; Lily's eyes narrowed and Rose took out her wand as well. Mike let go of Kas and advanced on Lily, his fists were balled.

'Come on Mudblood, think you can take me on?' he said, Kas stood next to Lily.

'Don't you ever call her that again!' Kas almost yelled. Slowly the common room was becoming aware of the fight between the three Quidditch players.

'Shut your mouth, Starsword, I don't get why you hang around with this piece of shit. She'll never be worth anything.'

A few of Mike's friends had come up behind him; Kas and Rose pointed their wands at Mike.

'You're the one who isn't worth anything, Peterson' Rose said. One of Mike's friends turned to Rose.

'You can't talk half blood you're almost as bad as her!' he said with a slight laugh to his voice. The other boys behind him laughed. Kas walked up and slapped them both round the face.

'You keep your mouths off my friends assholes!' she said and turned to walk away; Mike's friend grabbed her arm and pushed her so she hit the wall.

'Good one Ben!' one of the boys behind Mike said; Kas shook her head a little dazed as Lily turned to Ben and muttered a quick spell; his whole body went as rigid as a board and he fell to the ground; Mike turned to her and grabbed her wrist turning her wand away from him and raised his other fist.

'Take it off him' he snarled; Lily's eyes were starting to water from the pain when a fist made contact with the side of Mike's head and he staggered until he fell over Ben's body that was still lying on the floor. Lily turned and saw James standing massaging his knuckles with a face like thunder; Mike got up and faced him.

'Standing up for the Mudblood are we Potter?' Mike said with a slight grin on his face. Rose was surprised that James hadn't leapt at Mike and tackled him to the ground already but he seemed to be trying to keep relatively calm.

'Don't call her that' James said slowly, obviously trying to keep as calm as possible though it was evident he was furious. Mike was grinning smugly.

'Fancy her do you Potter? Even _I_ thought you had better taste than tha-'

James had actually lunched at Mike and knocked him back onto the floor; Mike twisted and grabbed a glass before smashing it into the side of James' face; James yelled in pain and Mike pushed him off before a foot caught him in the stomach; if it was possible Sirius looked angrier than James had when Mike had been insulting Lily. Remus tried to grab the hem of Sirius' robes but he was too late as Sirius launched himself at Mike; three of Mike's friends ran to help him but Remus and a few other guys stood in their way. Pandemonium broke out as almost the whole of Gryffindor house got caught up in the fight. Lily was thrown to the floor and proceeded to try and crawl over to where James was lying with his face cut in numerous places; she felt a foot land on her hand and she looked up into the face of a now de-cursed Ben.

'Heya Mudblood, where you off to then?' he said in a horribly polite voice, he grabbed hold of Lily's arms and started to drag her away from the main fight; she tried to kick his legs but the movement made it harder for her to get close to his legs. Ben pulled her to her feet and pinned her against the wall; Lily could smell the alcohol on his breath and it made her feel sick, he leant in to her and she turned her face away from his and closed her eyes. She could feel his warm breath on her skin before he suddenly pulled away; Lily opened her eyes and saw James throwing Ben away from them. Blood was running down his face, half of it was covered in cuts and Lily could see some shards of glass still embedded in his face; James turned to her and grabbed her hand.

'Come on, we need to find Peter and get out of here' he said a little thickly as blood was going into his mouth as it coursed down his face. James pulled her through the fight until they found Peter being pushed back into a wall by one of Mike's friends, Lily was about to fire a spell when Peter suddenly kicked the other boy in… well in a very tender area. Lily snorted as they reached Peter who was looking in shock at the boy kneeling in pain in front of him.

'Well done Pete!' James said, Peter grinned a little, 'Can you tell Remus, Sirius and the girls to meet us at the Room of Requirement? We can't stay in here it's too dangerous. Get the girls to go with either Remus or Peter, Kas knows where it is or take them with you when you leave. We'll see you there.'

Peter nodded and ran off while James dragged Lily out of the room, having to push a few people out of the way first. Finally they reached the sanctuary of the corridor and James started to walk quickly towards the seventh floor. When they reached the fifth floor, however, James was visibly starting to get slower and his breathing was getting heavier.

'James, slow down' Lily said, 'You're going to make yourself collapse if your not careful.'

James sighed but slowed down anyway; finally they reached the stretch of wall where the Room Of Requirement was situated. James was dragging his feet as he walked back and forth in front of the wall; when the door appeared he slumped in front of the wall and rested his head against it. Lily ran and knelt down in front of him.

'Come on, let's get you in and then we can get started on your face' she said; James didn't reply.

'James?' Lily asked, 'James! JAMES!'

James' head fell onto his chest, Lily felt tears come to her eyes.

'Come on James, wake up. Please wake up' she said quietly; she brushed away a tear that had started to fall and then stood up and heaved James to his feet before half carrying, half dragging him through the door and into the Room Of Requirement.

_A/N: I'm mean aren't I? Aww… don't worry I'm sure Lily'll look after James and then everyone else will turn up. Anyway thanks to all my reviewers I love you all! Anyway next chapter should be up soon, I've got a case of the muses. And for those of you who are not familiar with that phrase it's a load of little people sitting on my shoulder poking me and chanting 'write write write' over and over again. Really annoying actually…_

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx_


	28. Hospital And Acceptance

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing you recognise and I do not own any of the songs used during the rehearsals and the performances unless I say I do.

**Chapter 27- Hospital and Acceptance**

When Lily walked in she was greeted with a room with some beds in it, a clear space in the middle, a small kitchen area, a few chairs and shelves full of medical equipment. Lily dragged James over to one of the beds and put him on it. She walked over to the shelves and took some bandages, a pair of tweezers, and a pot of 'Healer's Cream' over to James' bed.

_What I need is some warm water and a cloth so I can clean the blood from his face, _she thought; as she did a bowl with water and a cloth in it appeared beside her. Slightly shocked Lily took the cloth out of the bowl and rung it before she took James' glasses off his face and put them on the bedside table. She started to gently wash the blood off his face, more kept seeping out of the wounds and Lily would see the numerous cuts that he'd received from the glass and she could see one or two large shards of glass still embedded in his face. As she dipped the cloth back into the water and rung it again, she pushed back a strand of his hair and felt a hand gently take hold of her wrist. Lily looked down into his slightly unfocused, hazel eyes and smiled slightly.

'Lily?' she asked quietly.

'Yeah… it's me' she answered; James turned his face slightly put Lily put a gentle hand on it.

'Don't move your face, I'm trying to get the glass out and dress the cuts' she told him. James winced as Lily took hold of a large shard of glass with the tweezers and started to try and take it out. He cursed loudly as the glass came free from just under his jaw line; Lily put the glass into a bowl and turned back to James' face that was now spurting blood from the cut she had just removed.

'I think we can leave the glass in there if it's that bloody painful' James said, Lily laughed slightly as the door opened again. Kas walked in, limping slightly, and closed the door behind her; she walked over and sat on a chair next to James' bed.

'What the hell happened to you?' she asked him. Lily took the distraction Kas was causing to try and clean the wound she had just removed the glass from.

'In short I got a glass smashed across my face' James said with a slight grimace as a sharp pain rose from his various cuts.

'Need a hand Tiger?' Kas asked, Lily smiled gratefully at Kas and the two girls started to work on James' face together.

'What happened to you two after I got thrown against the wall? I was a little out of it for a few minutes' Kas asked. Lily explained about Mike continuing to insult her and James punching him round the face and Mike and James' fight. Kas sighed when Lily finished her story and opened the tub of healing cream and started to rub it onto the smaller of James' cuts while Lily kept dressing the larger ones. After about five minutes the door opened again and Diana, Emma and Rose climbed in followed by Peter.

'Where's Remus and Sirius?' James asked Peter.

'They told me to get the girls out and get here; they're just coming now. Remus is having to help Sirius get here. He's in a pretty bad way' Peter told James. James sat up and tried to get out of the bed but Kas and Lily pushed him back down.

'Oh no you don't. You can go find them _after _I've finished with your face and any other injuries you have and _not_ before' Lily said firmly.

'Are any of you hurt?' Kas asked the other four who had taken seats on the various chairs around the room.

'Rose has got a cut on her arm but apart from that we're all fine' Emma answered for the others. Rose lifted up her sleeve and Kas left Lily to finish tending to James' wounds and started to rub some of the healing cream onto the cut. She had been cut from just above her wrist up to her elbow; as soon as the cream touched the cut it started to heal in front of their eyes, just as it had done with James' cuts. Rose let her sleeve fall back over the cut and Kas took the cream back to Lily when the door opened again.

Remus stepped in part carrying, part supporting, and part dragging Sirius in with him. Peter had been right when he had said Sirius was in a bad way. He could hardly walk and had trouble standing; his face and body were covered in cuts and bruises; he had a black eye and his cheek was slightly swollen, it looked as if three of his fingers on his left hand were dislocated. Remus was not much better than Sirius. Remus had various cuts and bruises over his body and was also sporting a black eye, it looked as if almost all of his fingers on his left hand had been dislocated and his left shoulder looked as if it could be dislocated too.

'What the hell happened to you two?' James asked sitting up and walking over to them, ignoring Lily's protests; he relieved Remus of Sirius as Kas came up.

'We literally had seven kinds of crap beaten out of us' Sirius said quietly, his voice was hoarse. Kas, Lily, and Diana came over. Kas relieved James of Sirius as Lily took James back to his bed and Diana led Remus over to another.

'Kas…' Sirius said hoarsely, she paused and looked at him as she started to help him to a bed. Close up Kas could see the extent of his injuries and knew what had caused it; Mike and his friends wouldn't have started the fight if she had just agreed to go out with Mike. She placed her hand gently on the side of his face.

'I'm sorry…' she said quietly.

'What for?' he asked her; she realised that no on else knew why the fight had started.

'Doesn't matter… let's get you into a bed' she said. Before she could move Sirius had leant down and kissed her; without thinking she returned the kiss and the two of them stood in the middle of the Room of Requirement. Though no one made any comment it was obvious that, some time soon, the two of them would be asked many questions concerning their relationship. Kas got Sirius to sit on a bed before she turned to his left hand.

'This is gonna hurt a bit… on the count of three I'll put them back in' she said quietly. The whole room seemed to have gone quiet; Kas took hold of Sirius' dislocated fingers before starting to count softly.

'One… two…' then there was a sickening crunch as she pushed the fingers back into place. Sirius let out a yell and drew back his hand sharply; Rose had covered her ears as the crunch sounded and looked as if she was going to be sick. Remus was looking paler than usual, and Sirius was now leaning back on the bed cradling his left hand.

'That bloody hurt' he said weakly. Kas looked guiltily down at the ground before she stood up and walked over to Remus.

'This is probably gonna hurt a hell of a lot more' she said quietly.

'One way to boost my confidence' he said with a slight grin. Kas took hold of his fingers; Remus took a deep breath and a few of the others covered their ears quickly before an even louder crunch sounded and Remus yelled in pain.

'Sirius was right that does bloody hurt' he said weakly. While he was distracted Kas took hold of his arm and cracked his shoulder back into place. The scream of pain that erupted from Remus' mouth was loud enough to wake the dead.

'SHIT!' Remus roared; most people fell silent at his outburst.

'OK that must have hurt a hell of a lot if it made Remus swear that loudly' James commented; the death glare he earned from Remus was enough to make him shut up and try and hide behind Lily's back. After another hour Peter, Sirius, Remus and James were all asleep on the beds; Emma and Diana were getting ready to go to sleep and Rose was lying on another bed trying to get to sleep. Lily and Kas stayed up by the fire. Finally everyone else was asleep and the two girls were the only ones awake.

'Kas… why were you and Mike arguing?' Lily asked after a few minutes; Kas kept staring into the fire, she had been thinking about it since the others had started going to sleep and she and Lily had finished healing the others as best they could.

'He asked me out and I refused… it's the second time he's asked me in the past month. That's why we started arguing. If it wasn't for me this never would have happened…' Kas trailed off and sighed, she faced Lily, 'I'm gonna go for a run and when I get back I'm going to put an end to all the trouble with Mike.'

With that she stood up and left before Lily could get another word in.

The next morning Lily woke to find she'd fallen asleep next to the fire; she yawned and stretched before looking around the room. Kas was curled up next to the fire as a wolf and was sleeping peacefully, _the only time she gets any peace is when she's asleep_ Lily thought sadly. She sighed and looked at the others; all of them were still asleep, she walked over to James' bed and checked his injuries were healing ok after last night, luckily almost all of them had completely healed; only one of them was still healing, the cut looked as if it would scar, it was the one that Lily had taken the first shard of glass out of the previous night and the cut ran from under James's ear and followed his jaw line to just past the joint at the back of his jaw. She checked Sirius and Remus and found that all of their injuries were healed, however they still had quite a few bruises and Sirius still sported a black eye. She heard someone stir behind her and looked over to see Kas standing up, back in her human form.

'Hey Kas' she said quietly walking over to her friend, 'You ok? You look tired.'

Kas smiled at her weakly, Lily noticed that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, 'I'm fine. I just want to get this day over with. Lucky it's the weekend huh?'

Lily nodded but looked at Kas worriedly.

'Kas what exactly are you going to do to solve this whole Mike situation you never said last night?' Lily asked; Kas sighed and looked out of the window at the Forbidden Forest in the distance.

'I'm going to go up to him and agree to go out with him. That way he'll stop pestering me about it and you guys don't have to keep worrying about me so much' she answered; Lily stood in shock for a few minutes.

'YOU'RE GOING TO DO WHAT?' she screeched, successfully waking up the others in the room.

'Where's the fire?' Peter asked stupidly; Kas looked at Lily silently pleading her to keep quiet.

'Nothing… doesn't matter' she said and made to walk out the door, Lily stood in front of her friend.

'Oh no you don't there is no way I'm letting you walk out of this room and go and tell him that. You're staying right here!' Lily said, Kas sighed.

'Lily my mind is made up. Please don't make it harder than it already is' Kas looked Lily straight in the eye and Lily could see her friend was close to tears, 'Do you really think I want to do this?' Kas asked Lily quietly.

Lily sighed and looked down, 'Fine. But I'm coming with you.'

Kas smiled at her friend and the two girls walked out of the room before anyone could ask any questions. They hadn't even got half way down the corridor before Rose caught up to them.

'What's going on?' she asked them, blue eyes filled with worry.

'Kas is going to tell Mike she agrees to go out with him so that he'll stop trying to pick fights with us all the time' Lily said in a monotone. Rose's eyes widened in shock.

'Oh Wolf please don't. It's not worth it we can keep it up' she said, pleading with her friend.

'I already tried Dove her minds made up' Lily told her. Rose sighed.

'Well I better go and tell the others, they're all wondering what's going on' she turned to go back when she paused, 'Oh I'd run if I were you… I think you might have a lot of angry people on your tail if your not careful.'

Kas and Lily smiled slightly then started to run to the Gryffindor Common Room as Rose walked back to the Room of Requirement. Finally they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

'Password?' she asked, Lily took one look at her friend and then said quietly.

'Chimaera.'

The portrait swung open and Lily and Kas climbed in; sitting in front of the fire was Mike and his friends. Kas sighed and she and Lily walked over to them. Mike looked over at them as they came over.

'Starsword, Evans' she said, greeting them with a nod of the head; his friends were looking at them too and Lily saw Ben looking her up and down and looked to Kas.

'Look Mike I need to talk to you about last night-' Kas started, but Mike cut her off.

'Look we're really sorry for that, we were all drunk and we shouldn't have done what we did' Lily could see he was lying and she guessed Kas could by the way her friend looked at him.

'Are the others alright?' Ben asked her, Lily looked at him and nodded.

'Look Mike like I said I need to talk to you about it… I know I've told you that we couldn't be together because of complications and everything but well if the offers still on…'

Lily heard the portrait open and several people climb in and knew that the others had made it back, she cursed their timing silently. Mike smiled at Kas.

'You saying you will go out with me?' he asked her, Lily looked at Kas and saw her friend take a deep breath and smile before nodding. Mike's friends clapped and Mike stood up to hug Kas. Ben appeared at her side and Lily looked up at him.

'Hey… err… look sorry about everything last night; I was out of my head and I dunno why I said all that stuff and did what I did. Do you think you could forgive me and perhaps… no it's stupid to ask but… well would you be my girlfriend?'

Lily looked at Kas and saw her watching her, she knew Kas was willing her to say no but Lily wasn't about to let her down when Kas had risked her happiness for them. She smiled at Ben and nodded.

'Sure' she said; before she knew what was happening Ben had leant down and kissed her, she returned the kiss after a few moments and then Kas walked up to her.

'Come on Lils, I think the girls might want a word' she said pointing at the portrait hole where Diana, Emma and Rose were standing. Lily nodded and the two girls said goodbye to Mike and Ben before walking over to their friends and going up to their dormitory to get ready for the day and to meet the reactions of the Marauders. Which they were not looking forward to in the slightest.

_A/N: Hello, sorry it took so long to update. Now people are probably wondering why Lily and Kas have agreed to go out with Mike and Ben. Well for a few reasons:_

_Kas was looking out for her friends and didn't want Mike to keep beating them up and arguing with them all the time._

_Lily wanted to make sure Kas was alright and she felt like she owed it to Kas to go out with one of Mike's mates._

_Yes I agree with what some of you are probably thinking they are stupid_

_And the last and most important reason… It's a plot line! Don't argue with me over plot lines or I'll come after you in your sleep and wake you up with ice, cymbals, buckets and a toothpick._

_Anyway… hope you like the chapter and bring on all the complaints you want. Again I'm sorry it took so long for me to update but there you go… the muses left me alone for ages and I couldn't think what to write… Anyway all the reactions coming up next chapter and a few heated arguments… not that I'm giving away plot lines or anything… _

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx _


	29. The Beginning Of The End

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing you recognise and I do not own any of the songs used during the rehearsals and the performances unless I say I do.

**Chapter 28-The Beginning of the End**

Back in the dorm Lily and Kas were being interrogated and yelled at.

'WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?' Diana yelled, 'THEY WERE HITTING YOU AND UNSULTING YOU LAST NIGHT AND NOW YOU'RE DATING THEM! WHAT HELL ARE YOU ON?'

Lily uncovered her ears, 'Are we allowed to speak yet?' she asked.

'No I haven't had my turn yet' Emma said, Lily sighed and covered her ears again.

'YOU STUPID COWS WHY THE HELL DID YOU SAY YES TO THEM? BEN WAS ALMOST THROWING HIMSELF ON YOU LAST NIGHT LILY AND HE CALLED A FUCKING MUDBLOOD! DO YOU GUYS HAVE EVEN A SINGLE BRAINCELL BETWEEN YOU? I THOUGHT YOU GUYS WERE THE SMARTEST WITCHES IN OUR YEAR?' she screeched; Kas just looked at them and sighed as Lily uncovered her ears.

'Now can we speak?' Lily asked impatiently.

'No I haven't finished' Emma said calmly as Lily covered her ears again.

'WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING? EVEN I'M NOT THAT BLOODY STUPID! THEY THROW YOU AROUND LIKE YOU'RE FUCKING DOLLS AND THEN YOU AGREE TO GO OUT WITH THEM? HAVE YOU COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY LOST YOUR MINDS?' Emma screamed at them. She and Diana continued to scream at them while Rose turned to face them.

'I won't scream and shout but I do think what you did was both stupid and brave. You guys have given up your happiness for us' she smiled as Diana and Emma stopped their screaming, 'Thanks guys, sorry we couldn't do anything to help.'

Rose stood up and hugged her two friends as tears leaked from Kas' eyes. It was the fact that Kas was so close to crying that made Diana and Emma cease their explosion and walk up to their two friends and hug them.

'Sorry bout the screaming guys but someone had to do it' Emma said, Kas and Lily laughed and the five girls turned to walk out of the door.

'Err… one question… how do you plan on telling the Marauders?' Rose asked. Lily and Kas froze in the doorway and turned to face each other.

'Oh shit…' Lily said quietly.

'We're screwed…' Kas said, and then suddenly she turned to go back in when Lily grabbed her arm.

'How the hell am I gonna face Sirius after this? He's gonna kill me…' Kas said weakly; the others came over and helped her to the bed before she collapsed onto it and looked up at the roof of her bed, eyes glazed over.

'How are we actually going to face the Marauders after this? After what they did for us last night?' Kas asked quietly.

'I don't know Kas…' Lily said quietly, 'I really don't know…'

The other three came over and Emma but a comforting hand on Lily's shoulder.

'We'll stand by you guys, we've cooled off now and we understand. Even if we think you are the stupidest cows to have ever walked this planet your still our mates and we won't let you down' she told them both. Lily and Kas smiled gratefully at their friends and then the five girls turned and walked down the stairs to the Great Hall ready to face the music.

The five girls walked into the Great Hall and made to sit at the end of Gryffindor table nearest the doors, unfortunately Remus caught sight of them and waved them over. Groaning inwardly Kas and Lily walked behind the others until they reached the Marauders.

'Did you tell them before you guys came to the common room?' Lily asked Rose quietly as they walked up. Rose shook her head.

'I just told Emma and Diana. I thought it best to leave it to you' she said, Lily smiled thankfully and the five girls sat down. Throughout the meal both Kas and Lily were silent and only gave short comments every so often finally breakfast was over and the group stood up to leave.

'What's wrong with you two?' James asked, 'You're being really quiet today.'

Lily looked at Kas and sighed.

'We've err… got something to tell you…' Lily said as they reached the Entrance Hall and headed outside.

'What's happened?' Sirius asked worriedly, putting an arm across Kas' shoulders. Kas shrugged him off and walked faster towards the lake, Lily by her side. The other three girls exchanged worried looks before hurrying to keep up with their two friends. The Marauders jogged to keep up and finally the group of 4th years positioned themselves under a tree beside the lake.

'So what is it you've got to tell us?' Remus asked; Lily and Kas exchanged a quick look before Lily spoke again.

'Well… you see this morning when me and Kas were talking we… well she… well she decided last night after you'd all gone to sleep but I only found out this morning-'

'Lily… you're rambling' Emma said, looking worriedly at the Marauders' reactions. Lily sighed.

'In short' Kas said looking across the lake to the forest, 'Last night I decided that this morning I would go up to Mike and tell him I would go out with him after he asked me last night. I told Lily this morning and she flipped and then came along with me. After I told Mike Ben went up to her and asked her out and she-'

'Being the stupid cow she is' Emma interrupted; Lily smacked her round the head.

'I accepted so Kas wasn't being the only stupid one and I wasn't going to let her down when she'd done that for us' Lily finished.

The girls waited with baited breath for the hammer to fall…

'YOU DID WHAT?' Sirius roared jumping to his feet with James beside him; Remus was looking at the two girls with shock evident all over his face.

'You heard' Kas said quietly not looking at them.

'YOU STUPID COWS! WHAT THE HELL POSSESSED YOU TO DO THAT?' James roared. Kas stood up angrily and faced them.

'SO HE WOULD LEAVE YOU LOT ALONE!' she screamed at him, 'WE DID IT SO YOU GUYS WOULDN'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH AS MANY INSULTS AND FIGHTS AS BEFORE!'

'WHY THE HELL DID YOU AGREE TO GO OUT WITH HIM THOUGH? WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST TELL HIM TO LEAVE YOU ALONE?' Sirius thundered. Lily stood next to her friend.

'We did it so they would leave you alone! The least you could do is to cut us some slack! You really think we wanted to do this?' she yelled at them.

'Then why did you?' Remus asked quietly.

'Because that's what I've been brought up to do' Kas said looking at him, 'I've always been told to look after others and put others before me. I can't remember ever being told to do anything else.'

Suddenly Remus understood, she had lived so long with the wolves whose nature it was to protect the pack before protecting itself that it had become second nature to her; so when they'd been attacked she'd gone to put it right in the only way she could think of that would mean they'd be safer and Lily had been a good friend and done the same to make sure that Kas was safer as well.

Sirius and James had faces like thunder.

'What about us, eh? You just gonna throw us away like we never existed?' Sirius asked loudly. Kas turned away so no one could see the tears that were threatening to fall.

'I don't want to do this but I have to…' she said, Sirius looked as if he'd been punched in the face. He turned and made to walk away before James grabbed hold of his arm.

'Let go James I can't stay here with these cows!' he almost screamed. Lily looked at him with eyes blazing.

'You bastard! I can't believe you!' she screamed at him, 'We give up our happiness to keep you safe and all you can do is call us cows! Well now at least it's clear your name relates to your heart, Black!'

Sirius rounded on her, 'DON'T EVER SAY THAT AGAIN!' he roared taking out his wand and pointing it straight at Lily. She took her own out and faced him eyes blazing.

'Bring it on, Black!' Lily said; James pushed Sirius' arm down.

'Come on Sirius it's not worth it' he said, Sirius looked away. That was when Rose surprised them all.

'You bastards! They've given up their happiness and a part of their freedom for you lot! STOP ACTING LIKE YOU'RE THE ONES WHO ARE SUFFERING AND YOU'VE GOT THE BEST TIME OUT OF ALL OF US; SO GET YOUR HEADS STUCK OUT FROM YOUR ARSES! OR DO YOU NEED A MAP TO DO THAT WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE?' Rose screamed at them; everyone looked at her stunned.

'What?' she asked, Lily tried not to smile and failed miserably.

'I wondered how long you'd go before you blew up at someone' Lily said to her quiet friend; Rose turned a brilliant shade of red. Kas smiled and then started to walk towards the lake.

'Where the hell are you going?' James asked her; Kas turned to face him.

'Wouldn't you like to know, Potter?' she answered coolly. James' face was thunder and Sirius took out his wand again, James followed his example.

'Just tell me why you did it, Starsword' Sirius said; Kas looked as though someone had just slapped her round the face.

'Because I care about you Sirius' she quietly before she turned and walked around the lakes edge towards the forest. Sirius looked as if he'd been slapped; actually it was probably a good thing he did because when Lily turned round and slapped him he didn't have to alter his facial expression.

'That's what you get when you break the heart of one of my friends, Black' Lily snarled at him, James made to grab her arm but she turned around and slapped him around the face, 'Don't even try it, Potter.'

And with that she turned around and walked after Kas who had paused at the edge of the forest; Emma and Diana cast one last look at the boys and then turned and jogged after Lily, Rose followed but not before giving the two boys an evil glare each.

'I think we better get inside' Remus said quietly; he and the other three walked solemnly back into the castle and straight to the Room of Requirement, though Remus wasn't sure whether it was such a good idea for them to be attempting the Animagi transformations in such bad moods.

Back by the edge of the forest Kas had sat down on the grass and had her gaze fixed on the trees. The others came up behind her; Lily put a hand on her shoulder.

'You ok Kas?' she asked her yellow eyed friend. Kas looked up at Lily and smiled.

'They're coming' she said quietly and looked back at the forest, tears in her eyes. Her friends exchanged worried glances, none of them understanding who Kas was referring to. Lily was just about to ask her friend who was coming when a white shape bounded out of the forest and knocked Kas to the ground. Kas laughed and embraced the wolf like an old friend; another three shapes followed the white one and soon Kas couldn't be seen underneath the mountain of fur.

After a few minutes she pushed them off her and sat up again; she looked up at her friends and motioned for them to kneel down; looking at each other with worried glances the other four Florettes knelt beside their friend.

'Guys I think you should finally meet the pack properly,' Kas said and she turned back to the wolves, 'this is a part of my human pack; this is Lily, Diana, Emma and Rose.'

The wolves came up to each of the girls in turn and sniffed their hands and faces, wagging their tails and licked the girls' hands. Kas introduced the girls to Shadowmoon, Hazel, Arnica, and Ebony. After almost half an hour of the girls playing on the edge of the forest with the wolves they decided to head in for dinner. With a last goodbye, and a longer farewell on Kas' part, they headed into the Great Hall. When they arrived Lily and Kas were waved over to sit with Mike and Ben and their friends.

'You don't have to sit with us if you don't want to' Lily said quietly to the other three but they shook their heads and the five girls went to sit with the boys. Further down the table a group of boys were shooting them hurt, angry, concerned and confused glances at the five girls: two of them in particular. When dinner finally ended Mike took Kas off to the grounds for a quiet word.

'I'll wait for you' Lily said to her, but Kas shook her head and Lily returned to the common room with the other Florettes and the rest of Mike's friends; Ben's arm slung over her shoulder the whole way.

_A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks to all my reviewers you really do make my day sometimes guys! throws cookies and chocolate out to all the reviewers Hope no one is going to kill me for anything in this chapter… if you are then… oh well I'll just have to walk around in my indestructible clothes for a few weeks wont I? Anyway Christmas Break should be coming up in the next few chapters and a few surprises as well I daresay. Anyway thanks again to my reviewers and thank you to everyone who is reading this fic! I couldn't have done it without all of you (I also couldn't have done it without the pestering of my friends as well but there you go… what are friends for? Lol)_

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx_


	30. Conversations

**Chapter 29 – Conversations**

The next morning brought sun and a crisp wind as well. If anyone looked out of the window they would have seen two 4th year students walking together along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, they would have been surprised at the fact they were talking to each other like old friends; if they had been part of the majority they would have hated each other. As it was they defied their houses and walked together, conversing for the first time in a few weeks

'Why didn't you just try to avoid him?' the boy asked. The girl sighed.

'It's not as easy as that. We're all in the same house and most of us are on the team,' she explained; the boy nodded in understanding. The girl turned to the boy.

'Be careful Severus. I'm not on the friendliest terms with the Marauders so Mike and his mates will probably leave them alone; and the other girls are always with us but if he finds out we're friends he'll most probably try to hex you or threaten to so I have to stay with him. Just be careful ok?' Kas said. Snape smiled and nodded before the two friends turned to walk back up to the school for lunch.

The following week Kas set herself a mission. As she sat doing her homework with Lily and Rose she kept an eye on the Marauders, if they went out she'd follow after a few minutes and head straight for the Room Of Requirement, if they didn't she'd have to wait till they did decide to leave. Luckily after about an hour, well after she had finished her homework and had started to pretend to read a book, the Marauders stood up and left the common room. After about five minutes she was about to put her book down when Mike came over with Ben. The two boys sat with Lily and Kas, leaving Rose sitting on the couch opposite by herself as she finished her homework.

'Heya' Mike said, leaning over and kissing Kas on the cheek. She smiled as well as she could at him and put her book back in her bag. She stole a look at the clock, wondering if she could get away with the excuse of being tired. It read half past nine. Cursing silently she started looking through her bag; stealing a glance at Lily whenever she could to see if she could get her friend to help her. Rose was the one who saved her though; she sensed her friend wanted to be somewhere and said:

'Hey Kas weren't you supposed to go see Dumbledore at half nine?' she asked her friend. Kas looked at Rose, after a second of eye contact Kas nodded.

'Yeah, why?' she asked.

'It's half nine, now' Rose said simply. Kas stood up said a quick goodbye to the others and left the room, silently thanking Rose for her timing.

'Come on Lils, we better get up and wait for her upstairs. We'll see you tomorrow' Rose said to the two boys. Since her two friends had started going out with Ben and Mike she had become a lot stronger in her personality and wasn't as closed as she used to be. Lily nodded, said goodnight to Ben, and left for the dorm with Rose.

'What do you think Kas wanted to do?' Lily asked Rose once they were on the stairs. Rose shrugged and the two girls continued their hushed conversation until they reached their dorm where they explained Kas' behaviour to Emma and Diana. The four girls stayed up waiting for their friend, while they talked about their school lives at that moment. Lily was quiet throughout this conversation. She didn't want to bring up the topic of her and Kas dating Ben and Mike. As they spoke the hours ticked by and the four girls fell asleep around 11pm, still waiting for their friend to return from her late night walk.

Meanwhile Kas ran to the Room Of Requirement; panting slightly she paused at the bottom of the staircase and stood in the middle of the corridor listening. Yes there was definitely something nearby. Kas peered into the darkness; at the end of the corridor she saw a lamp light coming closer. She looked around for somewhere to hide and found nowhere nearby. Cursing silently she turned to run down the corridor to go to the kitchens when someone grabbed her from behind placing a hand over her mouth. Her back hit someone and she tensed up as the caretaker, Mr. Filch, passed by. She was amazed when he went straight passed them without even looking at them; it was then she realised that there was something covering her and the person holding her. Hang on was that someone else who was breathing behind her? She looked around when Filch had gone and found herself looking into a pair of dark eyes.

'What are you doing out here?' James asked her from somewhere next to Sirius, a cold edge to his voice. Kas wrenched her gaze from Sirius' eyes to look at James.

'Looking for you' she answered, she took a few steps back before she felt a type of material fall from her head and the Marauders disappeared. She remained looking at the spot where they had been, however, and soon Remus appeared.

'Why were you looking for us?' he asked, there was no cold edge to his voice. Kas looked down the corridor and sighed.

'I guess it doesn't matter' she said and started to walk away, just as she was about to start walking up the stairs she paused for a moment before saying, 'Just thought I might be able to help you with the Animagi transformations. Good luck.'

As she started to walk up the stairs Remus ran forwards and grabbed her arm and spun her around.

'What did you say?' he asked her sharply. Kas was a little shocked at Remus' expression; looking over his shoulder she saw the other three Marauders looking at her with serious expressions.

'You heard' she answered. Remus looked back at the others, James nodded and Kas found herself being led to the Room Of Requirement. Once inside she was pushed down onto a chair with the four Marauders facing her in a type of semicircle.

'How did you find out?' James asked, his voice was almost dripping with ice and Kas felt bad for what they had said to them. She looked at the floor so she didn't have to look at the hurt and anger in each of the Marauders' eyes.

'I saw Peter reading a book on Animagi a while ago and it all just clicked together. How you seem to pay more attention in Transfiguration, how you disappear more often than you used to, how you can sometimes be seen in the library with Transfiguration books, and how you sometimes crack jokes that have something to do with animals in them,' she explained. Silence greeted this small speech.

'Why do you want to help?' Sirius asked quietly, he looked at her with a fixed expression and his voice was expressionless.

'Do I need a reason?' she asked, looking up and meeting his eyes. For a few seconds they stared at each other until Kas looked away, discomfort taking over from her eye contact.

'It'd be nice to know one, at least then we know we've got a reason to trust you' Sirius said; Kas looked back at him eyes flashing in anger.

'Who says you can't trust me?' she asked, Sirius' eyes narrowed.

'I think we can take the whole scenario with Ben and Mike as an example' he said. Kas stood up eyes blazing.

'We've been through this we didn't do that because we wanted to. Do you really think we want to have them with us almost 24/7? We're hating every minute of it but we're sticking with it because we don't want them to lash out at you lot!' she yelled at him, they were less than a foot apart and looking into each other's blazing eyes.

'OK OK, let's calm down!' Remus said loudly. Kas wrenched her gaze away from Sirius and walked over to a window and stood looking out over the grounds. She hadn't been for a run since she had started going out with Mike and she was starting to feel the pressure of not having any freedom again.

'Look, obviously we need to be a little more careful about how we research Animagi. That's not Kas' fault at least now we know. We also need to stop biting each other's heads off at the smallest thing, ok?' Remus said, looking at Sirius and Kas. Kas nodded, still looking out of the window. Sirius nodded and looked in the opposite direction.

'You don't have to worry about researching Animagi' Kas said quietly; she turned around and faced them again.

'What makes you say that?' James asked, only a little coldness was in his voice now. Obviously the argument and Remus' words had calmed him down slightly. Kas let a ghost of a smile form across her face.

'I'll teach you' she said simply. This statement was met by mixed expressions. Peter looked positively gleeful that someone would be teaching them, James looked both shocked and relieved, and Sirius' head snapped round so fast it was a miracle his neck didn't crack.

'You mean it?' Peter asked; Kas nodded.

'Why are you doing this?' Sirius asked. Kas looked at him.

'How else can I help Remus after fifth year?' she answered.

'What do you mean?' Remus asked; Kas sighed and looked at the floor.

'When I'm married I'm out of your lives for good, there's no going back. At least I can be assured that there's someone who's going to be there when I'm gone' she answered. She collapsed into a chair and put her head in her hands. The Marauders watched the girl whom had always appeared so strong, especially since she had been living with her guardian, now look so weak and fragile.

'I've failed' she whispered to herself.

'What?' Sirius asked Kas shook her head and leant back in the chair.

'You want to get started or not?' she asked, a small smile playing on her face. For the first time since her and Lily had been dating Mike and Ben the Marauders smiled at her.

'Oh, before I forget, you might find this interesting' she said, reaching into her cloak pocket and taking out a small notebook.

'What is it?' Remus asked. Kas seemed to consider her answer.

'Let's just say it contains all the information I've ever been able to put into writing about your… other half' she said. Frowning Remus opened the book and looked through it.

'This is almost everything you've ever found out about wolves?' he asked. She nodded.

'Keep it safe. When I first started writing it I wasn't going to give it away; it almost tells you about most of my habits. It tells you a lot about my personality because I've lived as a wolf for so long. But after I… after fifth year it'll only fall into the wrong hands after I d… after I move. You lot can use it to figure out the mind of the werewolf' she explained, looking at the floor again. An awkward silence followed this statement.

'Can we choose what animal we are?' James asked, trying to break the silence. Kas looked up and thought for a moment.

'In a way you do. Usually your Animagi form is your animal totem; though I'm guessing none of you know your animal totem.'

They all shook their heads.

'What about you?' Peter asked. Kas shrugged.

'I don't know. Mrs Allen taught me to become a shapeshifter but I don't know what she did differently to enable me to do it. She always told me it was the same steps as the Animagi ones. Maybe it's to do with the age you learn at, I don't know' Kas answered.

For the next two hours she told them and repeated the steps for the transformations; Peter asked her to repeat some steps more than the other two did but eventually they had most of them memorized. Throughout the whole conversation Remus looked through the notebook Kas had given them, learning as much as he could about the wolf so that he might be able to retain his mind during his transformations. Finally he looked up at the clock.

'Uh… guys I hate to break this up but it's now 1 in the morning and we're only going to manage about 5 hours sleep maximum before breakfast' Remus said, standing up and stretching as he did so. The others followed his example and James unfolded his cloak.

'Can we all fit under do you think?' Remus asked, James looked as if he was considering for a moment.

'Not sure… we might… we really need to get that map sorted then it wouldn't matter so much' he said. Kas frowned slightly.

'What map?' she asked. Sirius smirked.

'Now that would be telling' he answered; Kas rolled her eyes.

'I repeat: what map?'

James laughed, Remus answered as Peter looked out through the door to see if the corridor was clear.

'We're trying to make a map that will show everyone's movements in Hogwarts. It'll be a map of Hogwarts and somehow we'll show where everyone is at any given time' he said. Kas raised her eyebrows, obviously impressed.

'Well then why don't you do that while you're trying to do the Animagi transformations?' she asked them.

'Very good question. We'll tell you when we've worked it out' James said with a grin. Kas shook her head, a smile playing on her face as James threw the cloak over his shoulders. Sirius stuck his arm out and James' hand, materialising where he had once been standing, took hold of his forearm and soon Sirius, too, had disappeared. Remus put the notebook safely in his pocket and then he too disappeared as James grabbed his arm. Peter stuck out his hand and was pulled under.

'Come on Kas, there's just about enough room for you as well' Sirius' voice said from nowhere. Kas, silently wondering what Lily would say if she could see her now, stuck her arm out and felt James grab hold of her arm before she felt herself be pulled under the Invisibility Cloak. Twenty minutes later and the five 4th years were stood outside the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbing into the Gryffindor Common Room.

They took the cloak off and stood for a few moments in the common room. Then Kas broke the silence.

'We act as if nothing has changed. I still think you're the arrogant bastards and you still think we're the heartless cows. I won't take the risk' she said, looking out of the window at the night sky that was covered in stars. Silently the Marauders nodded as Kas turned and walked up the stairs to her dormitory.

'There goes one girl who could be called a true wolf' Remus said quietly to himself as the Marauders turned to their staircase and went upstairs to spend a few hours getting a well earned rest before their lessons started.

_A/N: I'm so sorry this has taken so long to write. I'd almost finished it and then I had a truck load of work come along. All I can say is there's a bit of a surprise coming up soon. It includes the wolves, Florettes, and Marauders and that's all I'll say. I'll let your imagination run wild. Thank you to all my readers and an even bigger thank you to my reviewers! I love you all!_

_xStarswordx_


	31. A Bit Of Christmas Cheer

**Chapter 30 – A Bit Of Christmas Cheer**

The next week passed slowly for the fourth years, but finally the Christmas holidays started; there was a scramble for last minute packing on the last day of term as everyone got ready to go home.

In the girls' dormitories Kas and Lily sat back with slight grins on their faces as they watched Emma and Diana squabble over clothes and Rose frantically try to find all her belongings. Kas was the only one staying behind as none of the others were allowed. Lily's parents had told her she had to come for the Christmas holidays to spend time with her sister and to meet her sister's boyfriend Lily had ranted for a full three days after receiving the letter from her parents but had told Kas she was welcome to come to stay. Kas had declined telling Lily that if her parents wanted her to spend time with her sister then she shouldn't be there as it would mean Lily would spend less time with Petunia. This had resulted in Lily going into another rant, this time for three hours, but had finally accepted her friend wasn't going to be moved.

Emma and Diana's parents were taking them to see their grandparents who lived in Wales; they too had invited Kas along, but again she had declined. The twins were both fond of their grandparents and Kas didn't want to intrude on any time they had together. Rose and her family were going to visit her uncle in America and were going to spend most of the Christmas there; as Rose's parents weren't terribly well off it wasn't often that they got to see her uncle and so, everyone having to spend time with family they didn't see very often Kas was going to be staying at Hogwarts alone.

'But Kas this is probably going to be our last Christmas together you can't spend it alone' Lily argued as Diana and Emma sorted out their argument.

'Lily don't worry about me. I'll be perfectly fine. I'll probably end up catching the train with you and then going on to spend Christmas back at the forest; I haven't been there in a while and I'd like to see it one last time' Kas said in a way that closed the argument. As Lily opened her mouth to argue a loud voice called from the Common Room:

'Oi Starsword! Get down here!'

Kas sighed and went to the door.

'What do you want Potter?' she yelled back.

'Will you get down here? I need to talk to you about the team, and bring Evans down with you!' James yelled back. Kas turned to Lily with raised eyebrows; Lily scowled and the two girls walked- very slowly might I add- down to the Common Room. There weren't many people here as most were up in their dormitories packing for the holidays. Lily and Kas walked over to James who was sitting with the rest of the Marauders.

'What do you want Potter?' Lily asked, clearly annoyed. James looked up and flashed her a grin.

'Now now Evans, be nice to the Captain' he said; Lily's dearest wish at that moment was to smack him around the head.

'Just get on with it Potter' she snapped. Sirius grinned at James.

'Just a quick reminder to make sure you at least think about moves over the holidays even if you can't practise' he said, smirk still plastered on his face.

'Whatever, can we get back to packing now?' Lily asked.

'One last thing…' James said, 'Wanna go out with me Evans?'

'Bugger off Potter' was Lily's answer as she turned and stomped up the staircase. Kas shook her head and turned to follow her friend.

'One last thing Starsword' James said, Kas turned to look at them.

'What?'

'Make sure you read this over the holidays' he said, handing her a scrap piece of parchment. Kas took it, shrugged, and walked over to the staircase; she paused half way up before she opened the piece of paper James had given her. It had a very simple message on it:

'_Wanna come over mine for the Christmas holidays? Sirius literally lives at mine now anyway and Remus and Peter are gonna be there for part of it. Send me your answer via the parchment._

_Merry Christmas,_

_James'_

Kas would have run down to the Common Room and given them each the biggest hug she could without causing them to fall to the floor. As it was she continued slowly up the staircase, and walked into her dormitory. Once in there she was greeted by one of Lily's most resent rants: it didn't take a genius to work out that her new subject was Potter. She walked over to her bedside table, took out the parchment the Marauders had given her and wrote a reply:

'_Does it take a genius to guess my answer? Yes you great prat! You guys are my knights in shining armour._

_Meet you when we get off the train after the others have gone._

_Kas'_

She put her things away and, with one flick of her wand, packed her trunk.

'Where you going then?' Diana asked, interrupting Lily's rant. Kas grinned.

'I'm going to the forest. I want to see my old home one last time' she answered before she got changed and climbed into bed. A small smile played on her lips as she fell into a dreamless sleep; for once being the first one asleep in the dorm.

The next day the girls all went down to breakfast together; they were soon accompanied by Mike, Ben, and the rest of their friends.

'So you going home for the holidays?' Mike asked the girls. They all nodded; his eyes narrowed slightly as he saw the Marauders enter. He turned to Kas.

'So you're going to your guardian's then?'

Kas nodded as she took a bite out of her toast.

'Are you going home?' she asked him.

'Yeah, mum always cooks the best Christmas dinner, you should come to mine' he said; Lily looked at Kas, worried if her friend did agree to go with Mike.

'Sorry, my guardian wants me home for Christmas' she said; Mike nodded after a few seconds and then he and the other boys stood and left. The girls breathed a collective sigh of relief once they were gone.

'Remind me to take up a martial art' Lily muttered, gaining odd looks from her friends.

'What? It'll mean I can eventually beat the crap out of everyone that annoys me' she said defensively; this brought fits of laughter from her friends.

A few hours later and the Florettes were sat comfortably in a compartment on the train to their various homes. After a few minutes of the train having started its journey Kas looked out of the window and smiled.

'Hey guys look it's snowing!' she said; the others looked out of the window and smiled as well.

'Oh this is perfect! We get to go home to a white Christmas!' Emma squealed. As she said this the compartment door opened.

'What do you want?' Lily asked, glaring at the four boys standing in the doorway.

'Now now Evans, that's not polite is it?' Sirius said with his trademark smirk on his face.

'Black you can take your politeness and shove it up your sorry arse for all I care' Lily retorted; Kas had to bite her lip to stop from laughing, when Lily wanted to she could throw a lot of good insults.

'Alright you two let's break it up' Remus said quickly before Sirius could retort. Sirius shrugged at Remus' glare, Lily looked out of the window with her arms crossed.

'We came here to ask if it's at all possible if we could sit with you… some second years thought it would be funny to come into our compartment and start annoying us, and I really don't want to have to clean up after these two' Remus said indicating to James and Sirius with his thumb. 'Even I was getting close to jinxing them.'

'Err… ok. On the condition you lot keep your hands to yourselves and don't bring act like gits' Rose said, glancing at Lily who was looking firmly out of the window.

'Thanks' Remus said quickly before either James or Sirius could answer. The four Marauders sat down; James and Sirius immediately engaged in a conversation that could only be about their next prank, with Peter listening in and offering comments every so often, Remus seemed to listen with half an ear and offered sensible suggestions in a low voice. Kas watched Lily with mild amusement as she started to get annoyed with the conversation going on in the other half of the compartment. Eventually it became too much and Kas dissolved into silent fits of laughter; however when she caught Emma's eye the two girls burst out laughing. Diana and Rose grinned at each other and soon all four girls were laughing hysterically. Lily glared at her four friends as the four Marauders looked at them with raised eyebrows.

'Oh shut up!' Lily snapped, however a small smile was playing on her face. Kas smiled at her friend.

'Oh come on Tiger, you have to admit it is pretty funny' she said; Lily tried to glare at her and failed miserably as she started giggling.

'I hate you guys sometimes' she said through her laughter.

'Anyway, what you doing in the forest Kas?' Diana asked as the girls regained their composure. Kas smiled slightly.

'Probably go to the pack and see my pu-'

Lily reached over quickly and put a hand over Kas' mouth.

'Kas!' Lily hissed shooting a glance over at the Marauders, who had become quiet.

'Your what?' Emma asked, frowning slightly. Kas' eyes went wide as Lily removed her hand; the girls exchanged a quick glance before Kas answered.

'The pups. Sorry, slip of the tongue… the pups belong to the pack, it's just become habit' she said with a slight smile; Lily glanced worriedly over at the Marauders.

'What were you going to say?' Sirius asked suddenly. Kas looked over at Lily pleading her to help her out of this situation.

'I wasn't going to say anything, Black. Keep out of our conversation we'll keep out of yours' Kas snapped; Sirius' eyes were narrowed. There was an uncomfortable silence in the compartment. Remus and James were exchanging raised eyebrows and uncomfortable glances over Sirius, Peter was looking clueless, Emma and Diana were looking at Rose and the three girls were trying to work out how to help their friend out of this situation as she'd obviously said something she hadn't meant to say; Lily was sat in the corner looking at Kas and the two girls were cursing quietly as Kas was looking out of the window trying to avoid eye contact. Unfortunately it seemed Sirius could always tell whenever she was evading the truth or a question.

'Wanna go and find the trolley?' she asked, Lily nodded and the two girls stood to leave the compartment. However as Kas was about to walk out Sirius stood up and blocked her path.

'Get out of the way, Black' Kas said, not looking at him.

'Not this time' he said taking hold of her as she tried to walk past him. Unfortunately as Kas struggled Sirius backed up into Lily and the three of them went flying. Lily landed on James while Sirius hit the floor on his back, still holding Kas who landed on top of him. Lily jumped off of James and the two started having a heated argument after Lily told James to let her go, as when she'd landed on him he'd placed his arms around her waist. Emma, Diana, Rose, and Peter somehow got involved; Remus shook his head and took out a book. Meanwhile Kas and Sirius were still on the floor, when they'd opened their eyes they'd found themselves looking straight into each other's eyes. For a few minutes they stayed motionless as they looked at each other. Kas couldn't pull her gaze away from his; Sirius wouldn't let her gaze go, he was trying to find something in her eyes that would tell him if he'd ever get her back. After a few seconds, that actually felt like hours to the two teenagers, Sirius flipped her over so he was lying on top and kissed her. For a few moments the two teenagers were caught in their own world before Sirius pulled away and stood up, bringing Kas to her feet with him. Kas let him take her into his arms as she whispered.

'I never wanted to give you up, Sirius. But I had to to keep you safe.'

She pulled away before he could ask anything and dragged a fuming Lily from the compartment and beckoned to the other girls; the Florettes found the food trolley and bought their own choices before turning back to find their compartment empty.

Finally the train pulled into the station and everyone pulled their trunks off onto the platform and ran through the barrier into the Muggle World. Once on the other side the girls stood in a group waiting until they caught sight of their parents.

'Emma! Diana!' a tall woman called, she had black hair like the two girls and blue eyes like Diana. The twins said goodbye to their friends and walked over to their mother and followed her out of the station. Rose was the next one to go and finally Lily gave her friend a hug and bade her goodbye. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned round to find Remus standing behind her.

'Come on, James' parents are over here' he said with a grin. Kas smiled and followed him to what she imagined was going to be one of the best Christmas' she'd ever have.

_A/N: Yes the muses decided to bite my butt so I wrote. I hope you like this chapter… I wasn't originally going to have the Kas and Sirius on the floor of the train compartment in there but I decided to put it in on a spur of the moment thing. Anyway please review and thank you to everyone who reviewed on my last chapter. I love you all!_

_xStarswordx _


	32. Let's Dislodge That Stick Shall We?

_**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS NOTE. I don't mean to offend anyone with any of the songs and song lyrics in this chapter; the songs were NOT written by me they are taken from a CD my friend gave to me and the music fits in with the type of people in this chapter. I do not want to offend anyone with any of this chapter's content. Okay now that that's over let's get on with the chapter.**_

**Chapter 31 – Let's Dislodge That Stick Shall We?**

Lily woke up the next morning and groaned. She could hear Petunia's shrill voice downstairs talking about her whale of her boyfriend. She got out of bed and got changed before heading downstairs to the kitchen. Once there Petunia gave her a glare before continuing her talk about her latest date with Vernon. Lily was starting to wish he'd just go jump off a pier and save them all a lot of grief. She smiled at her mother as she was handed a plateful of bacon, eggs and toast. Wendy Evans cut Petunia off as she turned to Lily.

'Why don't you try going to that Club by the park later, Lily? I hear there's quite a few people go there you could make some friends out of school' she suggested. Lily smiled at her mother and nodded gratefully, that would mean she'd be able to get away from Petunia. So, after she'd finished her breakfast, Lily went back up to her room and dressed warmly to keep out the biting winter wind, she took her keys off her table and put them in her pocket before putting on her gloves and walking out of the house. The ground crunched beneath her feet as she walked across her front lawn and she walked out and joined the street heading for the building that had been built as a youth club a few years ago but had never been used very much. As she neared the park she turned to the right and walked down a few streets before she found the building. She crossed the car park quickly and went to the door, she tried to open it but found it was locked; Lily frowned, she could head music coming from inside so someone must be in there. She tried knocking but, after waiting a few minutes, no one came to the door. She turned to go and saw a girl about 2 years older than her crossing the car park. The girl had shoulder length brown hair and one black streak beside the left hand side of her face, as she got closer Lily could see she had blue eyes.

'Heya, you tryin to get in?' she asked Lily as she came up. Lily nodded and smiled at her. The girl laughed.

'Good luck sounds like they've got Shrek on the player' she said with a grin, she offered her gloved hand to Lily.

'My name's Kim' she said, Lily smiled and took the outstretched hand.

'Lily, Lily Evans' she said. Kim smiled.

'Let me try' she said and turned to the door, hammered on it and shouted: 'Oi Turkey open the goddamn door!'

Lily stepped back slightly, Kim grinned at her as the music went off and the door opened to reveal a man in his early twenties; he had blue-green eyes that Lily wished she could replace her green ones with and brown hair with a few green spikes on it.

'Bout bloody time' Kim said as she nodded for Lily to go in before her. Lily passed by the man who held the door open for them and then closed the door again. Inside Lily found that she had walked into a large, very warm room with a large stereo and speakers positioned around the room, around the edges were many chairs and sofas in small circles and a space was clear in the middle for dancing. Off to the left Lily saw an alcove in which two doors were situated that led off to the toilets and there was a hatch opposite her which she saw was the hatch between the room and a kitchen. About five people were inside, all older than her; in fact Kim seemed to be the youngest one next to her. Kim came up next to her and waved at everyone.

'Everyone this is Lily. You guys had better be nice to her now considering you didn't open the door to her and left her standing out there. Turn down the music next time yeah?' she said, grinning at Lily, 'Lily this is Peter, aka Turkey,' she said indicating the man who opened the door for them.

'That's Catherine or Cat' Kim said indicating to a tall woman sitting in one of the chairs, she had brown hair with natural highlights and smiling brown eyes.

'Heya Lily, sorry bout earlier… we sometimes get carried away with our music' she said extending her hand, Lily thought she looked about 19 as she shook hands with her.

'The git with the green hair over by the CD player is Robert, or Rob as he's more affectionately known' Kim said with a grin at a tall man over by the CD player, he did indeed have green hair and Lily had to try not stare opened mouthed at him, his green hair didn't really suit his blue eyes at all. He waved with one hand at Lily who smiled nervously back, he looked to be in his early twenties; at a rough guess Lily would have said he was 23 or 24.

'Gemma's sitting next to Cat' Kim said pointing at a girl around 20 with dark purple hair that suited her well, it didn't even clash with her sea-green eyes as Rob's green hair did with his blue ones. Gemma smiled and waved at Lily who waved back.

'And last but not least that's Simon, or Si' Kim said indicating to the man leaning on the hatch that joined this room to the kitchen; he had bleach blonde hair that reminded Lily of Malfoy's, and warm brown eyes. He smiled at Lily and she smiled back.

'Oh and before I forget if you hear odd nicknames such as Turkey, ask and I'll tell you whose who' Kim said, Lily raised her eyebrows and followed Kim to one of the sofas, 'So where are all the others? There's hardly anyone here today.'

Gemma shrugged, 'We're the only ones without jobs, well Doc would have one if he hadn't been kicked out of school.'

'Where do all these names come from?' Lily asked. Kim, Gemma and Catherine laughed as the men came over.

'Well sometimes it's when some of us are drunk and trying to pronounce other's nicknames or it's from funny incidents' Catherine explained. Lily raised her eyebrows again.

'Err… mind me asking why Turkey is one of them?'

Everyone present burst out laughing except for Peter.

'You would pick the best one first wouldn't you?' Rob said as he wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

'Well you see we had this party over at Doc's-'

'Doc?' Lily asked. Kim smiled half way through her sentence.

'Doc is Rob' Gemma explained, 'He was studying to be a doctor but he got kicked out of med school when he turned up late to one lesson absolutely pissed out of his head and offered the teacher drugs.'

Lily couldn't help but burst out laughing.

'Anyway… Doc's parents have this farm and they lent the barn to us for this party while they were away once. Anyway Pete got on the wrong side of some of Doc's turkeys and they chased him all the way around the farm yard until he climbed up a tree… they stayed at the base of it so he couldn't get down and the funniest thing was we had music on really loud so we couldn't hear him. It was only when Bradley came in crying from laughing too hard and told us about it did we actually manage to get the turkeys to leave him alone. Hence the name Turkey' Kim explained.

Lily was laughing so hard she had tears running down her face; Pete was sulking slightly but a small smile was playing on his lips.

'OK so who else comes here?' she asked them.

'Well there's Bradley, Karen, Sam…' she grinned at Lily's confused expression, 'Let's just say a lot of people.'

'17 including me and you' Peter said.

'Alright people enough yappin I wanna listen to Dr Busker!' Simon said standing up and walking over to the CD player before changing the CD and putting the volume up as loud as it would go.

'Si! We can't listen to Dr Busker when its Lily's first time here! We'll scare here away!' Catherine said, laughing.

'Oh no… trust me I bet I've listened to worse stuff before' Lily said, thinking of the various wizarding groups she'd been introduced to since starting at Hogwarts. Simon snorted as he pressed play and skipped a few tracks.

'I doubt it Lils… I seriously doubt it' he said with a grin. Lily raised her eyebrows as the song started.

'_(Spoken) Now it used to be said_

_That the quickest way out of the army_

_Was to make a pass at your commanding officer._

_Well last year Tony Blair changed the rules…_

_And now that doesn't work anymore._

_We have taken things ten years into the future_

_When the recruitment of gay men into the armed services has proved so successful_

_That we now have an entire right Royal Regiment Of Poofters._

_This is their anthem:'_

Lily raised her eyebrows slightly as music that sounded like it was being played on a music box started coming out of the speakers. The boys had stood up and started marching around the dance floor as if they were soldiers and made odd gestures as some of the lyrics. The other girls were starting to laugh and Lily had a smile tugging at her lips.

'_(Sung) When the services were told that they should start recruiting queers._

_It did not fit the image of the British Grenadiers._

_So 20,000 benders joined the ranks of volunteers,_

_To form the right Royal Regiment of Poofters._

The boys started to march on the spot and faced the girls; all of whom were now laughing, Lily however was slightly worried about the level of sanity in the club.

_As he marched into the officers' mess with an independent air_

_He was the campest commandant to ever take the chair_

_He said 'Now listen lovies I have something to declare:_

_We're the Right Royal Regiment of Poofters.'_

_As they march around the parade ground you can see that they are gay_

_The finest fighting fairy force to be on army pay_

_You can tell them at a distance cos they wear the pink beret_

_They're the right Royal Regiment of Poofters._

_Beneath the double fairy they will march about with pride_

_A Barbie Doll as mascot and their motto 'Run and Hide!'_

_And they all salute Prince Edward's flag before they go inside_

_They're the right Royal Regiment of Poofters._

_And when it comes to medical be sure that there's a queue_

_They love to get their taters out and they all enjoy the view_

_They'll never use a bayonet when a tickling stick will do_

_They're the right Royal Regiment of Poofters._

_But they don't enjoy the company of their military peers_

_Shunned by other regiments like the Royal Fusiliers_

_But they get on well with sailors who've been that way for years_

_They're the right Royal Regiment of Poofters._

_Planting pansies round the guard room so that everyone can see_

_And the smell inside the barracks is of floral popery_

_And the Queen that they would die for is one Freddie Mercury_

_They're the right Royal Regiment of Poofters._

_Their special combat training is the very queerest kind_

_They slap each other on the wrists and they say they do not mind_

_But if you drop your guard they will attack you from behind_

_They're the right Royal Regiment of Poofters._

_Cos they're the right Royal Regiment of Poofters.'_

By the end of the song the boys had managed to get hold of various pink hats and ended up looking very stupid as one of the hats was broken and was covering Pete's face. At the end of the song the boys collapsed in a laughing heap on the floor. Lily was sitting with quite a shocked expression on her face. Kim laughed even harder at the look on her face.

'Oh Lily you've got a lot to learn if you're gonna keep coming here. Most of us when we came here were really rule abiding until Doc and Turkey turned up… then it all went down the drain.'

The girls laughed, Gemma turned to her.

'Lily my dear I think we're gonna have to dislodge that stick that's shoved up your arse and do it pretty soon.'

When Lily returned home that evening she had a big smile on her face and was humming some of the songs she had heard at the club; most Dr Busker as Simon had wanted to listen to it all day. Apparently he'd been the one, along with Bradley, who Lily hadn't met yet, to introduce the others to the singer who went to the Dorset Steam Fair and sang in the beer tents. Simon had even given Lily a copy of the compilation that they played at the club and she planned to play it as soon as she got back into her room. She'd found out that Kim's nickname was Pop as she was forever popping gum and various other foods that shouldn't actually be able to pop whilst you ate them; Simon was called Zip, because apparently he used to work in a fabric shop and had been sacked because he'd thrown a box of zips all over an old lady from above her on a staircase, Lily hadn't been able to stop laughing when he'd told her about the look on the old lay's face. Catherine had been given the nickname Caramel after she'd fallen into a bowl of Dairy Caramel Bars and had gotten caramel in her hair and stained her clothes, apparently her parents had almost killed her for ruining the clothes she'd been wearing; and Gemma was called Muffin after she'd put a muffin mixture into a food processor when she'd been drunk and sent it going without putting the lid on and getting muffin mixture all over her parents' kitchen. Lily had laughed all day and was now glad her mother had suggested her going there; she was going back again tomorrow and was hoping to meet some more of the insane people that stayed there.


	33. Maddy's Game

**Chapter 32 – Maddy's Game **

Remus led Kas up to James' parents; they were standing with Peter, Sirius, James and a small girl Kas had never seen before.

'Hello Kas how are you? I haven't seen you in a while' Mrs Potter said kindly, brining Kas into a hug.

'I'm fine thank you Mrs Potter' Kas said. The young girl tugged on James' sleeve; he grinned at her before turning to Kas.

'Kas this is my little sister Madeline, but we call her Maddy for short. Mads this is Larkasia, but everyone calls her Kas' James said, Kas smiled at the small girl; she was a lot like her mother in having straight brown hair and blue eyes and she was shyer than her brother; if anyone had looked closely they might have been able to tell that James and Madeline were brother and sister, but James was more like his father.

'Well shall we get going? We're in the car so the journeys not going to be too bad' Lucy Potter said before turning round and leading the small group out of Kings Cross Station.

The journey to Cherry House was rather uneventful; Maddy seemed to like Kas a lot and the two girls started talking and didn't stop until they pulled up outside Cherry House. When the small group finally climbed out and retrieved their trunks and animal cages from the boot Maddy had lost all of her shyness around Kas and Kas could now tell that her and James were most definitely related; both had an easy air about them when they were talking and both talked about the things they liked and enjoyed with a passion. Lena appeared in the doorway and waited for the group to walk up the path; Maddy ran ahead with a big grin on her face and hugged the house elf.

'James how come we've never seen Maddy before when we've been over?' Kas asked; James smiled slightly.

'She's been staying with our grandparents in America for the past four years, it's the first time she's been home since she was 2; she's here to stay now but we've always gone to visit her for the past few years' James explained.

'Why hasn't she been here?' Kas asked. James shrugged.

'My grandparents like to get to know us and considering they live in America it can be quite hard; we used to take trips out to see them every year but it got harder to do when Maddy was born and Voldemort started to get more powerful; my parents sent her to America so she could spend most of her childhood in a relatively safe area' James explained. Kas nodded as they reached the house and were greeted by Lena who shrunk their cases and disappeared with a slightly pop to take them to their rooms.

'James can we play the game?' Maddy asked excitedly as the group of 4th years took off their coats and hung them up beside the door. Sirius grinned at James.

'Oh come on James… _please_' he said in a whining voice. James grinned at him.

'Fine but you're the bad guy this time' James said. Sirius pouted.

'Aww your no fun' he said; James laughed and clapped his friend on the shoulder. Remus smiled and shook his head at his two friends.

'Hey Rem, why don't you be the evil monster?' Sirius suggested with a grin; Remus rolled his eyes.

'No… Remus can't be the evil monster he's too nice' Maddy protested. Remus laughed.

'Thanks Maddy' he said. Peter sniggered.

'Err… what game are we on about?' Kas asked; feeling slightly lost.

'It's a game me and Maddy made up ages ago' James explained, 'She was always the princess and me and Sirius took it turns to be the bad guy and the 'knight in shining armour'. Remus has played before but I don't think you have, have you Pete?' James asked Peter. Peter shook his head.

'Kas can you be a princess with me?' Maddy asked, clinging onto Kas' hand. Kas grinned.

'On one condition… Sirius isn't the one saving me… I'd be safer with the evil monster than with him' she said. James and Remus burst out laughing and Sirius pouted, Peter sniggered and Maddy giggled.

'If your all going to play then you might as well get dressed up' Lucy Potter said as she came back into the hallway with a slight smile on her face.

'Maddy why don't you help Kas find a princess dress?' she said to the 5 year old girl standing next to Kas. Maddy nodded with a big smile on her face and led Kas upstairs.

'And you lot better get changed otherwise Maddy'll throw a fit' Carl Potter said coming and standing beside his wife. The boys grinned and follower the girls' retreating backs.

'Why do they have to grow up? Why can't they remain innocent forever?' Lucy Potter asked her husband sadly as they watched the group of friends walk upstairs to the rooms where Maddy and James had acquired a collection of dressing up costumes over the years, though in truth most of it was due to Maddy. Carl Potter held his wife close.

'Let's help them enjoy as much of their peace and freedom as we can now; and then, when they've grown up, they can look back on these times and it'll help them to laugh and smile when everything seems to be crashing down around them. Maybe they won't live through the times that we have, maybe Voldemort will have been defeated by the time they leave school' he told his wife quietly. Lucy Potter nodded and wiped her eyes on her sleeve as her husband led her back into the den where they wouldn't be interrupted by the game. They didn't notice their only son watching them from the banister on the first floor. James had heard what his parents had said and suddenly he felt so young; how could he face the world out there when he was only 14 and didn't know half of what happened in the battles between Aurors and Death Eaters. All he knew was that he would become an Auror so that, if he ever had children, they wouldn't have to live through what his parents had and what, quite possibly, he would have to live through. He turned and walked along the corridor to the room that Maddy now fondly referred to as 'the dress room'.

About half an hour later found Maddy and Kas sat round the corner of a corridor; both were wearing floor length dresses and had small tiaras on their heads; Kas had to admit she did enjoy this game of Maddy's. Remus and Peter were the 'bad guys' and Sirius and James were the 'good guys' for lack of a better description, while Maddy and Kas were the princesses. Maddy and Kas had to avoid Remus and Peter, and Sirius and James were given the task of 'rescuing' them if they were caught and taken to the 'dungeon', which was the library, they also had to 'fight' Remus and Peter if they ever met. None of the boys had seen Maddy or Kas as they'd left when they were still getting changed so they could hide.

'Anyone coming?' Kas asked Maddy as the small girl looked around the corner; she whipped back quickly and nodded.

'It's Remus' she whispered. Kas smiled and the two girls tried not to giggle; when they caught each other's eyes though they burst into fits of laughter and Remus came round the corner with a smile on his face.

'You know, you two aren't very good at hiding. I think a deaf man might have heard you' he said with a grin on his face. Maddy shrieked playfully and started to run off; Kas, still laughing, tried to follow her but Remus caught hold of her arm.

'Oh no you don't. I don't want to have to chase you two all over the bloody house' he said; Kas laughed as she was led down to the library.

'I must admit I don't know how Maddy can survive so long, these dresses are murder to walk in' she said indicating the long white dress she was wearing; it was plain white and hugged her torso slightly and fanned out slightly at the skirts. Remus laughed.

'You should see the stuff James and Sirius are wearing it's worse than this' he said indicating to the pretend armour he had on, all of it black.

'I would be wearing the helmet but I really can't see when I'm wearing it. Yeah we've played this game loads of times with Maddy,' he told her. Kas laughed and then grinned.

'Maybe we should get Lily to play this and have James rescue her' she said. The two teenagers burst out laughing at the thought as they reached the library. Peter was stood just inside the door and opened it for Remus to come in with Kas. She sat on one of the chairs and yawned.

'Now what?' she asked; Remus and Peter exchanged grins.

'Now it's time for the torture' Remus said; Kas raised her eyebrows.

'Ok… what type of torture?' she asked, standing up and backing away from the two boys. Remus lunged at her and pinned her down before he started to tickle her. Kas shrieked and started laughing as Peter went out of the room to try and find Maddy. She was still laughing for a few moments after Remus had stopped tickling her, but what made her start again was someone coming into the library.

It was either James or Sirius because they were wearing pretend armour like Remus and Peter except theirs was white and the also wore a white cloak and helmet. Kas couldn't stop laughing at the sight. After a few minutes of 'fighting' in which James or Sirius ended it by firing a tripping jinx at Remus, they picked her up and ran out of the door while Remus got to his feet and tried to chase them, still laughing. Finally they reached the kitchen door and went outside into the gardens.

'I thought the gardens were out of bounds' Kas said with laughter in her eyes; 'and who is my valiant rescuer?' she asked whilst trying not to laugh. They bent down on one knee and took of their helmet. Kas laughed.

'Only you could be that dramatic' she said as Sirius stood up.

'Don't you know it' he said with a grin.

'Nice outfit' she laughed. Sirius grinned at her.

'Yeah well James got the best one, his has a lion on the front' Sirius said; Kas tried, and failed, to stop laughing upon hearing this.

'Now why couldn't you let James rescue me if he had a lion on his armour?' she asked mockingly. Sirius barked out a laugh.

'Because James was stalking you' he said with a laugh, 'and when Remus got you he chased after Maddy.'

Kas shook her head, a smile still on her face.

'So doesn't your valiant rescuer get a reward?' Sirius asked, his eyes twinkling mischievously in the dim light. Kas smiled.

'Depends what type of reward my valiant rescuer would like. I'm sure the palace has plenty of books' Kas retorted; Sirius pouted.

'And is that all your valiant rescuer receives? A book from the palace library?' he said in mock hurt.

'A book on how to chat up girls, yes' Kas said with a grin before she turned and ran off before Sirius could grab her.

'Oi get back here!' he yelled, she laughed as she heard him try and catch her; the truth was neither of them could run very fast in their costumes and they ended up falling over into a laughing heap on the grass. Kas rolled over, laughing, and looked at Sirius.

'Would my valiant rescuer prefer a kiss by any chance?' she said with a smile; Sirius seemed to contemplate his answer.

'Perhaps your valiant rescuer would' he said with a grin. Kas laughed and leant over; instead of kissing him though she whispered into his ear.

'Catch me if you can' before standing up and running off again. Sirius laughed and ran after her. After a few minutes of running he managed to grab her arm and twist her round, placing his other arm around her waist.

'I caught you' he said quietly, grinning slightly; Kas grinned back.

'So you did' she replied, equally quiet.

'Now do I get my reward?' he asked mock-heroically. Kas laughed slightly.

'I suppose you do' she answered before reaching up and placing a kiss on his lips. Sirius held her closer as they stood motionless for a few moments. When they broke apart both were breathless.

'We better get back' Kas said, not breaking their gaze. Sirius nodded. Together they waked back across the gardens back up to the house and through the back door. There they rejoined the game with no one noticing their absence; only Remus shot the pair an amused glance after the game had finished and they were all back up in the 'dress room' getting changed back into their normal clothes.

_A/N: Hi everyone. Sorry it's taken a while to get these last few chapters up; schools being a pain, plus I'm ill so have pity on me people. An ill author is a sad author; but you can all make me feel better by reviewing! Not that I'm hinting or anything…_

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I love you all! The next few chapters are all about everyone's Christmas' and there's a surprise coming up. And before you all ask what it is I'll say I won't tell you because then it's not a surprise is it?_

_Thanks again to everyone who reviewed and thank you to my readers._

_xStarswordx_


	34. Christmas

**Chapter 33 – Christmas Day**

Diana yawned and rolled over, pulling the covers closer to her; her, Emma and their parents and younger brother were staying with their grandparents in Wales and it had snowed last night and the house was freezing.

'Come on Di get up its Christmas!' John said, bouncing up and down on his older sister's bed. Diana groaned.

'Get off John!' she said irritably to the 5 year old. She yawned again and sat up as John leapt onto Emma's bed and started bouncing on hers. Diana was surprised her twin didn't kill their younger brother as she got up and tried to hit him with a pillow. John ran back out of the room and left Diana and Emma to get dressed as quickly as possible so as to remain as warm as possible. Ten minutes later found Diana, Emma, John, their parents and grandparents in the living room by the Christmas tree; their father, David Clemment, was sat by the tree and started to distribute the presents from under the tree as soon as his daughters walked in. Emma and Diana sat next to each other through the unwrapping stage. They grinned at each other when they opened the presents from their friends and each other. Many people would have thought the twins were very similar; but they were very different at times, almost complete opposites, for example: Diana was a Quidditch fanatic, but Emma didn't really enjoy the sport even though she went to the matches at school. After about an hour all the presents had finally been opened and the girls were sitting back looking at various presents and laughing together.

'Oh girls we've got one last surprise for you' their mother, Valerie, said to them; Diana and Emma looked at their mother.

'Next week we're taking you into town and you can have a makeover' Valerie Clemment told them smiling. The girls exchanged grins with each other.

'Excellent!' they said in unison.

Rose stretched as she pushed the covers back at her uncle's house in America; she smiled as the sun fell on her face and she climbed out of bed and got changed; excited about the coming day. She smiled as she ran downstairs, now fully dressed, and ran into the kitchen; she smiled and greeted her uncle, mother and cousin who were all sat at the table.

'Hello Rose, how are you today?' her mother asked her. Rose grinned.

'Great actually' she said, sitting opposite her cousin.

'Hey Rose' her cousin said quietly, Rose rolled her eyes; she really liked her cousin, he was like a brother to her when they were together, but he didn't speak a lot.

'Hey Cornelius' she answered, smiling.

'Your mother and I have been thinking that maybe Cornelius should go back to England with you and start at Hogwarts' her aunt said to her. Rose beamed.

'That would be great!' she said, looking at her cousin. He smiled slightly at her and went back to his breakfast. Eventually her father and uncle came back from a walk and the family went into the living room to start unwrapping their presents.

Lily smiled when she woke up on Christmas Day; there was a party on later at the club and Wendy Evans had let her daughter go after dinner, most of them were going to Rob's house afterwards; the news had caused a lot of jokes to be said about Rob's turkeys and whether Pete was going to get on the wrong side of them again. Lily had also met Honey, a 17 year old with the most fashion sense Lily had ever known anyone to have, she had dyed yellow hair that was honey colour, due to her name, and had warm light brown eyes; everyone called her Honey Bee or Bee, Lily was thankful there weren't too many odd nicknames, or rather nicknames that had odd stories behind them her ribs were about to crack from all the laughing. The only other 17 year old at the club was Bradley, nicknamed Bad because apparently he'd insisted that was his name when he'd been drunk once, he had black skin and black hair and had the liveliest brown eyes Lily had ever seen; he succeeded in making Lily laugh every time they were in the same room together, he was trying to become a professional dance teacher and had been teaching most of them some new dance moves at the club in the past few weeks, something all of them had found highly amusing. Kim had surprised them at these times when she'd demonstrated some gymnastics skills as a way to try and put Bradley down so he didn't get to big headed in one session; Lily had to admit it was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen. Laura, or Lolly as she was called as she almost always had a lolly pop in her mouth, was a hairdresser that had offered to do Lily's hair for her at the party, something Lily was looking forward to, she'd done almost everyone's hair at the club and had highlighted her own blonde hair, she had blue eyes that reminded her greatly of Rose's. For once Lily wasn't missing her friends from school as much as she usually did during the holidays. The final two people Lily had met were Karen and Sam. Karen was the oldest girl at the club, at 25, and was the second oldest; she had bubblegum pink hair and laughing brown eyes; apparently she'd dyed her hair as a dare once at a party as her nickname was Gum (from the amount of chewing gum or bubblegum she always had on her), when she'd next seen them her parents had been a little shocked to say the least. The last, and oldest, person she'd met was Sam; he was 26 and had black spiky hair with a few blue spikes at the front and the most serious blue eyes at the club; they'd nicknamed him Shady as he was, literally, obsessed with Eminem; half of the Eminem CDs at the club were there because he sometimes got doubles of the CDs or singles. Apparently she still had five people to meet from the club. She climbed out of bed, got dressed and double checked her bag was packed for later and then went downstairs; when she reached the kitchen it was apparent Petunia was still upstairs asleep or getting ready for Vernon's visit later. Petunia was three years older than Lily and had always been a lot more popular than her at their Muggle schools; Lily smiled slightly when she thought what Petunia would think of her friends at the club. She walked up to her father, who was sat at the kitchen table reading the paper, and kissed him on the top of his head.

'Morning Dad, Merry Christmas' she said, and then walked over to her mother and kissed her on the cheek as she dished up the breakfast.

'Morning Mum, Merry Christmas' she said. Her parents smiled at her.

'Hello Lily'

'Merry Christmas sweetheart.'

Lily sat down next to her father and her mother put plates of steaming waffles in front of them.

'Mum, you know I love you don't you?' Lily asked with a grin at her mother; waffles were Lily's favourite breakfast and her mother always made the girls their favourite breakfasts on Christmas Day. Five minutes later Petunia walked in, face caked in make up and wearing quite a revealing top and knee length skirt with a pair of flat shoes. Lily rolled her eyes discreetly at her sister before saying as cheerfully as possible.

'Merry Christmas Petunia'

'Merry Christmas freak' Petunia said quietly. Lily sighed and finished her breakfast before taking her plate to the sink.

'Be back in a moment, I gotta send some letters to my friends' Lily said as she ran out the kitchen and up to her bedroom. She closed the door and tossed Opal and owl treat; Opal always perched on a special perch her parents had got her when she came home one summer so Opal wasn't confined to her cage during the holidays.

'Merry Christmas Opal' she said to the owl as she gently stroked the black feathers; Opal nibbled her finger affectionately and Lily smiled before handing her four envelopes for her to take to her friends. The owl spread her wings and took off out of the open window; Lily closed it and watched the owl fly off feeling slightly sad. She turned back to the door and went back downstairs to enjoy Christmas with her family.

Remus smiled slightly as he opened his eyes on Christmas Day; he was determined to make the most of today, even if he did have a full moon that night. He shakily got dressed and made his way slowly down the stairs; when he arrived in the living room his younger brother gave him a small smile before looking away.

'Merry Christmas' Remus said as cheerfully as he could.

'Merry Christmas sweetheart' his mother said, giving her son a brief hug. Remus smiled slightly but couldn't help feeling robbed; his parents loved him even though he was a werewolf, but every time there was a full moon they were scared of him, and his little brother had always been scared of him since he had been bitten. He sat down in a corner opposite his brother and joined in unwrapping the presents from under the tree.

The day was too short in Remus' opinion. His brother had gotten enough courage to start playing a board game with him when their mother game in, a bunch of keys in her hand.

'Remus… it's time, honey' she said quietly. Silently Remus stood up and followed his mother outside to the shed where he transformed whenever he was at home.

'See you in the morning' his mother said quietly to him; Remus just nodded and walked through the door into the shed and sat down on a box as his mother locked the door and hurriedly walked back to the house. After a few minutes the sun had gone down and the clouds had parted sending down a spotlight of pale moonlight. Remus screamed before his body started to writhe in pain.

'WAKE UP JAMSIE BOY!' a very excited and ear piercing voice yelled in James' ear that morning as it bounced on his bed. Actually two people were jumping up and down on his bed.

'Get off!' he shouted and pulled the covers over his head, 'Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?'

'Wake up James its Christmas!' Maddy shouted happily. James mumbled something into his pillow.

'Didn't quite catch that James… what was that?' Sirius said happily, too happily for early in the morning.

'I said Christmas is gonna have to wait till I've hexed you into the next century' he said sitting up and taking his wand from his bedside table and putting his glasses on. Maddy squealed and jumped off the bed and the two culprits ran out closely followed by James. Maddy opened a door and the three of them rushed inside, unfortunately for Kas it was her bedroom and Maddy jumped straight onto the bed.

'Kas! James is gonna hex us!' she squealed as she landed next to her. Kas sat up groggily.

'What?' she asked, not yet fully awake.

'Kas you gotta help us!' Maddy said as she attempted to hide behind Kas.

'What am I hiding who from?' she asked.

'Your hiding me and Sirius from James' Maddy said as Sirius leapt onto the bed as well causing everyone to be pinned down before James leapt on and the two boys started a pillow fight. After a few minutes Kas found a gap to voice her opinion.

'Get off my bed!' she yelled and pushed Sirius and James off onto the floor before falling back onto her mattress.

'Hey who stole my pillow?' she asked; Sirius and James looked at each other before grinning and starting to attack the girls with the pillows. Eventually, however, the number of slaps they'd earned seemed to amount to too many and they stopped their attack before sitting on the end of the bed.

'Come on let's get downstairs and open presents!' Maddy said happily before running out of the room and down the stairs; the others followed at a slower pace with many yawns emitting from each of them. Once downstairs in the library though there was little time to be tired as wrapping paper went flying; Kas could easily say that this was the best Christmas she'd ever had.

_A/N: Heya everyone, sorry it took so long to update I've been ill for the past two weeks and haven't been able to look at the computer screen for too long. Also we've got the big rush before the GCSEs start now so yeah combining health, D of E, and school I'm kinda stuck for time when I can actually write and update. If you review a lot though I might be tempted to write a little more than I should be… _

_Anyway I hope you lot like this chapter if not then tough, I'm sure you can deal with it. Yeah in case you didn't realise sitting on my bed for about 2 and half weeks makes me a little grouchy; especially when I haven't been able to write a lot, or read… in fact I just realised I wasted the last 2 and a half weeks of my life doing nothing… damn that's annoying…_

_Anyway… hope you liked this chapter I'll post ASAP. Love you all my lovely readers, and I love my lovely reviewers even more!_

_Ciao for now_

_xStarswordx_


	35. A Party and Confessions

**Chapter 34 – Christmas Party and Confessions**

Lily looked at her appearance in the mirror and smiled at herself; she was about to leave the house for the club where they were all gathering before going on to Rob's parents' house and staying the night there. Lily was wearing a pair of trousers and a sleeveless top with a jacket on over the top; she grabbed her house keys off of her table, picked up her overnight bag off the floor and walked downstairs to say goodbye to her parents. Her sister was sat next to her large boyfriend on the sofa and her parents were sat in two armchairs. She put her head through the door and turned to her mother who was closest to the door.

'I'm going now, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!' she said and left quickly before her parents or sister could say anything. She walked quickly to the club to keep out the worst of the winter chill, as she walked she cast her thoughts to her friends from Hogwarts; she hoped they were all having a good Christmas, but she wished she could have spent some of the holidays with Kas and the others, especially seeing as it was probably their last together. Lily had never been able to work out why Kas' guardian treated her the way he did, or why he was allowed to get away with it; she'd almost taken Kas straight to Dumbledore's office after the journey on the train when they'd finally been told what happened to her every holiday she spent with her guardian. Lily sighed, in a year she'd be saying goodbye to her best friend and the Florettes wouldn't be the same again with one member missing; the thought brought tears to her eyes that she quickly wiped away, along with the thoughts that brought them, as she reached the entrance to the car park of the club. A few cars were already there and quite a few people were waiting outside; Bradley caught sight of her and waved, Lily smiled and waved back thankful that her friends here could always put a smile on her face.

'Heya little Flower'

'Hey, Si' she said with a smile; Simon had started to call her Flower and it seemed to have stuck as her nickname as some of the others had started using it every so often.

'Heya Lils' Bradley said wrapping her in a bear hug from behind. Lily laughed.

'Heya Brad. Who we waiting for?' she asked as the black 17 year old let go of her.

'Just waiting for Honey, Laura and Pete' Bradley replied; Lily smiled and nodded.

'Come on let's get into cars so we're not freezing out here' Sam said, taking out a bunch of keys. Lily, Bradley and Kim followed Karen to her car and the four climbed in.

'We'll wait for Honey' Karen said to Sam as she closed the driver's door, the other's climbed into the back leaving the passenger seat for Honey who was crossing the car park as they all put their seat belts on. Honey waved to Kathy who was climbing into Sam's car. Kath, or Kathy, was 18 years old with black hair and a white streak down the left hand side of her face and bright green eyes; apparently she loved sweets, especially candy canes, earning her the nickname Candy. Kevin, or Bass as he was sometimes called as he played the bass guitar in a band, joined her behind Sam with Cat and Gemma. Stewart climbed into his car followed by Laura, Simon and Peter; Paul was one of the few Lily hadn't met yet and who had apparently acquired the nickname Lip after his ability to talk almost anyone into the ground and had a comeback for almost everything. He was driving the remaining members, including Rob who would direct them to his parents' farm as most of them couldn't remember the way as they usually got drunk about half an hour after the journey and the last person Lily had to meet properly; Charlie, or Chip after his job down the local Fish and Chip shop, had blue-green eyes and brown hair with one blonde spiked streak along the centre of his hair.

'Here we go' Karen said as she started up the car and pushed a strand of her pink hair out of her brown eyes and pulled out of the car park after Paul's car. Half an hour later and all the cars had pulled up outside a large farm house. Rob had climbed out of Paul's car and taken a bunch of keys out of his pocket and walked up to unlock the front door so everyone could drop off their stuff into their rooms; most people were sharing. Lily, Kim, Honey, Kathy, Cat and Gemma were all sharing a room; some of them were sleeping on blow up mattresses or in the beds already in the rooms. As Lily followed Honey into the house she couldn't help noticing how much the farm house resembled James' house from the times she'd visited it; she mentally shook herself as soon as these thoughts crept into her head. _Why am I thinking about that arrogant bully git anyway? I'm here to enjoy myself with my new friends not think about big headed pricks like Potter._ After putting her overnight bag on one of the blow up mattresses she and the other girls went back downstairs and out into the barn where Rob was already setting up the food table while Paul and Kevin set up the music. Soon everyone was in the barn and the music was playing loudly whilst people started to get food and alcohol from the various tables along one side of the barn.

A few hours later and Lily couldn't believe there were no signs of the party stopping, more beer and spirits had been brought from a supply somewhere in the house and the food was nowhere near ending, the music was as loud as ever and the people were showing no signs of tiring. At one point a large group had assembled round a table to play their own version of the game 'Roxanne' which included having a shot every time the name Roxanne came up on the song 'Roxanne'. However as they lacked the song they had changed it to suit one of the songs by Dr Busker, namely 'Bestiality' (_for reasons that some people know of I am not posting the lyrics to this song on here if you really want them review and tell me and I'll try and email them to you)_. Kim had dragged Lily away from the table as the word 'Bestiality' appeared about 35 times throughout the entire song; Lily watched on in amusement as the group refilled shot glasses with very small amounts of Smirnoff Ice, or similar drinks, and occasionally had one or two shots of straight vodka. By the end Lily was glad that Kim hadn't let her join in but she'd joined in with various dancing throughout the night including to 'Nellie The Elephant' which included a very… _interesting_ dance that included using your arm to symbolise an elephants trunk and walking around in a large line during the chorus. They'd also played 'Is This The Way To Amarillo?' and 'The Macarena' a few times; it was getting close to 2am and the party was still in full swing with Lily laughing at the antics of some of her more drunk friends and the attempts of the more sober ones at steering them away from the various haystacks that were in the barn. Bradley, Kim and Honey had remained the most sober of the others as they were not legally old enough to drink in the Muggle world, though Honey was very close to being very slightly drunk and it was due to Kim and Bradley that she'd remained sober this long.

'Oh come on guys one more isn't going to hurt' Honey said slurring her words slightly. Lily smiled as Kim and Bradley shook their heads.

'Oh go on guys its Christmas, let her have a bit of fun. It'll be her own fault when she wakes up with a hangover in the morning' Lily said. Honey beamed.

'See? There's a girl who knows what she's on about' she said putting an arm over Lily's shoulders before walking away to the table loaded with booze.

'And there's a girl who didn't really take in what you just said' Kim muttered to Lily causing her to laugh.

'Well, like I said it's her loss when she wakes up with a banging headache and she's throwing up everywhere' she said; Kim shrugged and nodded before the two girls broke into a giggling fit, Bradley looked on slightly amused.

'Well all I can say is at least Rob locked the turkeys up this time' he said, causing the three of them to dissolve into fits of laughter; Bradley from memories and Kim and Lily from what they'd heard of the incident that had given Pete his nickname. Bradley left the two girls for a while to get a drink; Kim looked at Lily with a big grin on her face.

'What?' Lily asked, Kim shook her head looking innocent and looked away.

'What?' Lily demanded; Kim turned back with the grin back on her face.

'I think Brad fancies you Lily' she said simply. Lily shook her head, a small smile on her face.

'Oh come on Kim we haven't known each other that long, how can you possibly say that?' Lily demanded.

'Well I'll be the one saying "I told you so" later on when he asks you out' Kim said with a smug look on her face. Lily shook her head.

'I would have to say "no" anyway, I already have a boyfriend' Lily replied. Kim looked at her with raised eyebrows.

'You haven't mentioned him before' she said, Lily looked away. True she hadn't mentioned Ben to anyone to at the club.

'We're not really that close… the circumstances surrounding our relationship are… complicated' Lily said.

'We've got a few hours left you wanna expand on that point Lils?' Kim asked. Lily sighed and looked at the girl who was 2 years older than her. She'd become her closest friend out of school it was only fair she told her about Ben and Mike. Lily took a deep breath and explained everything to Kim, omitting the fact that she went to a school for witches and wizards and was a witch herself. When she'd finished Kim looked sympathetic.

'And these boys just yelled at you after you told them what you'd done for them?' Kim asked. Lily nodded, the memory of the Marauders' reactions to the news of her and Kas' relationship advances fresh in her mind. Kim fixed Lily with a solid gaze.

'There's still something you haven't told me Lily. Why do you go to a boarding school but your sister doesn't? Surely you'd go to the same school if you used to be so close?'

Lily took a deep breath and hoped Kim wouldn't pursue that particular line of inquiry. She shrugged as and answer but Kim wasn't buying it.

'Tell me Lily' she said. Lily sighed.

'You'll think I'm mad or I'm drunk or something, and I can't prove it until I'm 17' Lily answered.

'Can't prove what?' Kim asked. Lily looked down at the haystack they were sitting on.

'I'm a witch and the school I attend is called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry' Lily said simply; she then went on to explain about Hogwarts, her classes and the wizarding world in a nutshell. All the time Kim remained quiet and listened to her without interrupting her. When Lily had finished she looked at her brown haired friend with her single black streak; Kim's blue eyes were alive with excitement.

'How cool is that?' she said, Lily couldn't help it: her jaw dropped.

'You don't think I'm mad or I've had too much booze or something?' Lily asked her. Kim looked at her as if she was mad to suggest it.

'You kidding? I think its bloody brilliant! I've been around this lot too long to have something like this surprise me Lils. You'll see the others'll think its amazing too. We've never had a witch in the club before… this could be very cool when you come of age' she said, smiling broadly. Lily couldn't help it, she smiled back.

'Just don't tell anyone outside of the club, we're not supposed to tell Muggles about us and don't try and get me to perform any magic until I'm 17 otherwise I'll be dragged up for a hearing or something' Lily said, Kim nodded with the promise of keeping it a secret inside the club members and that, when they were sober, the others would be made to promise the same thing. The only thing that made Lily worry was when Kim told her they'd be mad at her for not telling them sooner. The two girls laughed and rejoined the party; Lily with a little more energy and a huge weight lifted from her shoulders.

_A/N: Well you can all thank Abby and Katie for pestering me for a new chapter for a while that this was written so fast. Actually I wrote it in one evening. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Katie and to Becci because it's both of their birthday's within the next week and I don't know if I'll be able to write another chapter before the weekend is over. Sorry Abby but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Hmm… cookie…_

_Anyway enough on the subject of cookies. I've got the next few chapters sorted out, this one kinda changed a lot as I was writing it but the next 2 chapters are roughly planned out in my head anyway. _

_Happy Birthday Katie! Happy Birthday Bex! I hope you guys like this chapter!_

_Thank you to all my reviewers, I love you all! Thank you also to all my readers I love you all as well! And a big thank you to all my friends for nagging me and for listening to my odd quiet mutterings to myself which include a lot of 'its' and 'theys' lol. I love you all!_

_Ciao for now _

_xStarswordx_


	36. Losing Control

**Chapter 35 – Losing Control**

Kas smiled as she went down the stairs into the dining room two days after Christmas; James' dad had had to go out to work early but his mum had stayed behind to make sure they were all up and ok before heading off to work herself, as they were both Aurors they had their work cut out trying to keep Voldemort and his supporters under control. She walked into the dining room to find Lucy Potter sat at the table finishing her breakfast with Maddy helping herself to some toast; obviously the two boys were still asleep. She sat down opposite Maddy.

'Morning' she said cheerfully.

'Morning Kas' Maddy said sleepily as she spread jam over her toast. Lucy Potter looked up and smiled at Kas.

'Morning Kas' she said, 'Oh a letter came for you today. Here you go; it looks like one of your friends has replied to your letter.'

Kas smiled and took the envelope from James' mum and looked down at the writing on the front as Lucy returned to her breakfast. Her face turned whiter than the snow outside in under five seconds and her hand shook slightly. Maddy looked at her with a slight frown.

'Are you feeling ok Kas? You look really white' Maddy said. Lucy Potter looked up worriedly. Kas nodded.

'Yeah, just a headache. Maybe I should go lie down' she said and left the room hurriedly. She walked back up to her room and locked the door. She took a deep breath and then leant back on the door, one hand still resting on the door handle. She walked over to the window and sat on the windowsill and closed her eyes. Why now? Why did he have to contact her now? Why couldn't he leave her alone for the one time she was free of him? She looked back down at the envelope in her hand and turned it over; she broke the seal and took out the parchment inside. She read the letter a few times and then let the parchment and envelope fall into her lap as she looked out of the window again. The garden was covered in a thick layer of snow and she could see the hoops of James' replica Quidditch pitch standing out against the white. At the end of the garden was the wood where she had walked so many times before. Kas closed her eyes and let her head rest against the cool glass of the window, soon she had fallen into a light, troubled sleep.

James and Sirius walked into the dining room together and sat down opposite Maddy at the table.

'Is Kas up yet?' James asked his mother as he and Sirius helped themselves to breakfast. Lucy Potter looked up from her newspaper.

'Yes, she said she wasn't feeling too well' she said; Maddy looked up.

'It seemed to have something to do with that letter. She went really white when she saw who it was from' she said. James raised his eyebrows at Sirius and turned to his mother.

'Do you know who it was from?' he asked. Lucy Potter shook her head.

'It didn't say as far as I could see, but by the way she acted I think Kas knew exactly who it was from' she said, after a moments pause, 'It didn't look like it was from anyone who'd sent a letter before this holiday, and the owl looked as if it was from a post office and not someone's own one.'

James and Sirius exchanged quick glances.

'Where is she, did she say where she went?' Sirius asked.

'Yes, she went back up to her room. Don't go bothering her I think she wants to be alone for a bit' Lucy Potter said before folding up her paper and standing up. 'I better get to work, your father and I probably won't be back until tomorrow so don't stay up too late and don't destroy the house while we're out.'

James smiled at his mother, 'We'll be good mum, promise.'

Lucy Potter laughed, 'You better look after your sister or it's your heads on a silver platter I'll be serving at the next dinner your father and I hold.'

Sirius laughed. 'We'll look after Maddy'

Lucy Potter smiled at her children and Sirius and then left the room and disappeared with a small crack. James looked at Sirius as Maddy watched them leave their food untouched.

'Do you think we should go and check on Kas? If the letter was from her guardian something could be wrong' James suggested, Sirius nodded and the two boys stood up to leave.

'Oh no you don't' Maddy said, 'Mum told you to leave her alone.'

James sighed, 'You'd tell mum if we went up to her room wouldn't you?'

Maddy smiled and looked triumphant, 'Yes, now you leave her alone!'

'Ok, ok!' James said, holding up his hands in surrender, 'but if she hasn't come down by dinner time will you let us go up and check on her without telling mum?'

Maddy nodded and James and Sirius walked outside to spend the day flying around on their brooms, Maddy joining in for a few hours before heading inside to go to her room.

A few hours later and there was a knock on Kas' door, she opened her eyes and looked at the door without saying anything.

'Kas? You ok?' it was James. She heard him sigh after a few minutes of silence.

'Dinner's on the table if you're hungry. You know you can talk to us if you want.'

She heard him walk away and she looked down at the letter in her lap. She put the parchment back in the envelope and stood up. She knew exactly what she had to do.

An hour later and Maddy had gone to bed leaving James and Sirius playing a game of chess in the library.

'Do you think we should go and check on Kas again?' James asked, Sirius looked up and nodded.

'Give her a little more time, then we can try and get into her room. I think whatever was in that letter wasn't good news' he replied. James nodded and the two boys went back to their game, aiming to finish it before they went upstairs to check on Kas.

Kas sat on the windowsill with her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms rested on her knees and the letter was tucked between her body and the window. She watched the blood seep down her pale forearms; she let the tears fall freely down her face to mingle with the blood as it made its way down her skin to pool into her lap. The soft glow from the dying fire was the only light in the otherwise dark room; casting flickering shadows over her pale, tear streaked face and the walls of her room. He'd taken her freedom from her and had stolen her soul, ripping them both to shreds and leaving her stripped of everything but her body and her mind. Mike had taken away the freedom that only Hogwarts could give her and he was slowly poisoning her mind, trying to take even her body away from her whenever he could. She'd been ripped apart by the two men and now she was left to rot away in the dark recesses of her mind.

She wouldn't be able to see the pups grow up, her pups, she'd never run with the pack again; she wouldn't see her friends… the Florettes, the Marauders… Lily… Remus… James… Sirius… No. She would see them, only from a place where she would be free again.

She heard a soft knock at the door; she stayed still and silent but kept her gaze on the door as someone tried to open it.

'Kas?' they called; she was slipping into darkness and the voice could hardly penetrate the fog around her, seeping into her brain.

'Kas! Open the door!'

There was a pounding from somewhere; was it the door, or was that the beating of her own heart? The ebony expanse was a welcome relief to fall into, away from the world that delighted in tearing her apart, and she slipped into it feeling as though she'd finally found peace.

The door crashed open and Sirius looked in, his black hair falling into his dark eyes. He took one look at the figure slumped against the window and ran into the dark room. He took hold of her shoulders and pulled her away from the window to get a look at her face. Kas' head fell back as her body left its resting place against the window, some of her hair falling across her pale face. Sirius placed his hand on the back of her head and supported it; her skin was white and her body felt like a dead weight. He felt something on his arm and looked down; blood was seeping from the cut on Kas' wrists and was falling down her arm to drip onto his. It took a mere second for what he was seeing to register.

'James!' he yelled, picking the limp body up bridal style and carrying it into the bathroom. It took a few seconds for the sound of James' footsteps to be heard running along the corridor; when he arrived in the room, panting, and he saw Kas' body he ran back out and down the stairs to the kitchen. He threw open a cupboard and took out his parents' emergency medical kit and returned as fast as his legs could carry him to Kas' room.

Sirius was still holding Kas as he knelt on the floor with a towel over her wrists trying to slow the blood flow; he was cradling her to his chest as though if he let her go she'd die in front of him. James walked over and put the medical kit down on the floor between them.

'We better close the door in case Maddy comes out, she probably wouldn't want to see this' Sirius said quietly; James looked at his friend worriedly, something about the way Sirius was acting was odd to say the least. Knowing better than to question him now James stood up and closed the bedroom door before he took out one of the potions from the small box and smeared some of the thick substance over the cuts on Kas' wrists. The cuts started to seal up in front of their eyes and soon they had sealed up completely without scarring. James took out some bandages and wrapped them around her wrists.

'Why are you bandaging them if they've sealed up?' Sirius asked him.

'Because the cuts will sometimes reopen a few times, something to do with the healing process; Mum explained it all to me when she thought I was old enough to know how to use it just in case' James answered as he finished dressing Kas' wrists. 'We better put her on the bed and stay with her until she wakes up.'

Sirius nodded agreement and picked up Kas' body again, carrying her over to the bed as James pulled back the covers. Placing her on the bed the two boys pulled the covers back over her and settled into two chairs to sit and wait.

'Reminds you a bit of when Remus has had a rough night, doesn't it?' James said gloomily, looking around the room. His gaze fell on the envelope on the windowsill; he stood and walked over, picking it up and bringing it back to the bedside.

'This should explain a lot' he said and opened the envelope, taking out the parchment and reading it quietly to Sirius, who sat on the opposite side of the bed.

'_Larkasia,_

_I have received information that you are not staying at Hogwarts as you were instructed to but that you have gone to visit some of your so called friends. I have told you time and time again not to defy my orders Larkasia, this is one time too many. I shall be waiting for you at Kings Cross Station when you are to return to Hogwarts to give you a bit of advise as regards my orders and my wishes. When you return here at Easter you shall pay for this disobedience and you shall learn to be obedient in future. Obviously the previous lessons, especially after the visit to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black where your behaviour was disgraceful to say the least, have not sunk in. If you are not careful Larkasia it shall not only be you that suffers for your disobedience; it is not out of my power to summon the wild creatures you seem to love so much to this house to remind you why you should obey me._

_I have also received information that you are friendly with blood traitors and mudbloods; I have told you to be careful Larkasia and you are stretching my patience beyond its limit. You are to change your choice of friends and how you behave or I shall be forced to take drastic action. After your behaviour at the House of Black I suppose you have guessed the reason behind this arranged marriage; I tell you now Larkasia I do not have to make a murder look like an accident for me to gain the money that should be mine as your guardian; all I have to do is make it look like I didn't murder you. Trust me Larkasia that is not too difficult. _

_I hope you shall read this letter carefully, and remember if any of this gets out it shall be within my power to take drastic measures._

_Your guardian,_

_Edward Harstone.'_

The two boys looked at the letter with shock on their faces.

'Why is he doing this?' James asked, looking up at Sirius, 'Why can he want Kas' inheritance? Why is it so important he gets it?'

Sirius looked as if he was in another world and didn't answer James' questions.

'Sirius?' James asked, standing up and going over to his friend; he put a hand on Sirius' shoulder and Sirius jumped slightly.

'Sirius what's wrong? Talk to me' James told him walking to stand in front of Sirius. Sirius wouldn't meet his gaze.

'I don't know what it is, James' Sirius answered, 'Something just doesn't feel right. Every time he's mentioned I just get this feeling that there's a reason behind this that we're missing.'

'We need to find out why he wants that inheritance so much' James said quietly, he turned to look at Kas' sleeping form. 'There's obviously something more than money in that inheritance, or some reason as to why he wants that money. He knows she's not got people looking out for her; she's right under Albus Dumbledore's nose for most of the year for Merlin's sake!'

For a few minutes the two boys sat in silence; Sirius seemed to be staring into a world that only he could see and James was thinking about the letter. What was in that inheritance that Harstone wanted so much? Finally James returned to his seat and the two boys took it in turns to sleep and watch Kas that night, just in case she woke up.

_Sunlight was streaming into the kitchen where the red haired woman was washing up, a small boy with black hair stood by her side with a piece of cake in his hand._

'_Mum, where's Dad? Is he practising? Can I go watch?' the small boy asked rapidly. The woman laughed and looked down at her young son._

'_You know you're not allowed to watch him when he's practising. You wait till he gets in then you can bombard him with questions, heaven knows you ask him enough. Go find your sister and you two can set up the table for dinner' she said._

'_I'm here Mum' came a voice from the doorway. A young girl with reddy-brown hair and a pair of blue-grey eyes stood in a doorway and came running up to the two people._

'_I wanna go outside and play' the small boy said in a whining voice._

'_Alright you two, out you go then; but don't you dare bother your father!'_

_The two children ran outside into the garden and their mother stood at the sink smiling._

The light was so blinding when she first opened her eyes that Kas had to close them and blink a few times before she could focus on anything; she looked to her left and saw Sirius asleep in a chair; on her right was James, sitting in a chair and looking straight at her. The events of last night, as far as she could remember them, came flooding back.

'What happened?' she asked quietly, sitting up.

'You tried to kill yourself, and if Sirius hadn't of bashed the door down you would have succeeded. Why didn't you talk to us Kas?' he asked her. Kas looked at the covers.

'It would have killed you if I had' she answered. James stood up and sat on the bed; after a few minutes he sighed.

'Kas I don't think you realise just how much we all care about you. We don't care about the risks we just want you to be safe' he said; Kas wiped away a few tears that were starting to fall. James leaned over and wrapped his arms around her.

'It's ok, we'll do all we can to help you. I promise' he said.

'Thank you' she murmured into his shoulder. After a few minutes they broke apart and Kas went into the bathroom; James waited for a few minutes before he woke Sirius and the two boys waited for her to get back. When Kas was sat back on the bed James asked the question they both wanted to know the answer to:

'Why did you do it Kas?' James asked; Kas looked away before answering.

'While I'm alive he can hurt any of you… I don't want that, I thought you'd all be safe if I wasn't here. It's just all so complicated now... I can hardly get through each day without worrying about where he is, what he's doing, what he's going to do. On top of that I'm worried about Lily whenever she'd with Ben as well.'

She paused and looked up, 'I didn't want her to do what I was doing, I wanted her to stay out of it; I wanted them all to have the chance to not worry about them, but Lily came with me and when Ben asked her… sometimes I think she was planning to do something similar before we even got to the common room.'

'What about the wolves?' Sirius asked. Kas looked at him.

'I want them to be free without having any added danger; its dangerous living in the wild, to add Harstone to it is like signing a death warrant. It's not just the four she-wolves that grew up with me; it's the two males that they've found. Their pups should have the chance to grow up without having to worry about Harstone hunting them down, and if he killed my pups I don't know what I'd do; I've left them with the pack while I'm at Hogwarts but…' Kas paused to wipe a tear away, 'I wanted to raise them myself, more than anything I wanted to teach them how to hunt and the songs of the pack. Instead I came back to Hogwarts, and I left them while they were still tiny pups. They've been growing slower than normal pups because of the human part of me, but I still wanted to be there to watch them grow. I haven't seen them in over a year now... I don't even know if they're still alive…'

There was a few moments silence.

'_Your_ pups?' Sirius asked, Kas looked up and covered her mouth, realising what she'd just said. She hung her head.

'It wasn't supposed to happen; I was too young even for a wolf. I had them before third year; it never showed when I was a human because I hid it with simple spells' she said quietly.

_A/N: So now we all know a little more about Kas' past. Yes I know it's odd, flame me if you want I don't care I'll use them to toast marshmallows on tonight; I might even be able to keep some for when its cold… hmm… you know you guys can flame me if you want, I quite fancy some marshmallows now, lol. _

_I hope you all liked that chapter and sorry it took so long to write, bloody teachers kept piling on the work so I've had little time to write. Please review I'd like to know what you all think about the events in this chapter._

_Ciao for now_

_Starsword_


	37. My Life

_A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update but GCSE's have just finished… and the mother banned me from writing . Feel sorry for me please… lol. Anyway here you go, a whole chapter written for my lovely reviewers and my lovely readers._

**Chapter 36 – My Life**

When Kas had fallen asleep again James and Sirius quietly walked out of the room and back into Sirius' room, which was next door to Kas'. The boys sat down on the bed; Sirius was the first to speak.

'We have to do something to help her' Sirius said quietly; James looked at his friend and knew it was tearing him apart to see Kas like this. He thought about what Kas had said and then an idea struck him.

'Sirius… I think I've got an idea' James said. He quickly told his plan to Sirius whose smile grew as James' plan unfolded.

'It's brilliant. All we need now is your parents to help us get there' Sirius said; James grinned.

'That shouldn't be too much of a problem.'

A few days later Kas found herself being shook awake by James very early in the morning.

'What's going on?' she asked sleepily.

'Get up and make sure you dress warmly, we're going out for the day' he answered before leaving. Kas yawned and got up, pulling on some warm clothes and then pulled her cloak on; pulling down the sleeves of her top so they covered the bandages that were still around her wrists she walked out of her room and down into the dining room where James, Sirius and James' parents were waiting.

'Right then, we better get going if you're father and I are going to get to work in time' James' mother said, facing James.

'Kas you should take hold of my arm, we need to apparate somewhere' James' father said, Kas nodded and took hold of Carl Potter's forearm, Sirius took hold of the other one and James took hold of his mother.

'Three… two… one'

The two adults apparated; Kas had to admit it wasn't her favourite way to travel, in fact it was very uncomfortable; it felt like she was being squeezed along a tight pipe. When her feet hit solid ground again she wasn't sorry for the journey to have ended.

'We'll be back for you at 9. Don't stray too far from here and be careful' Lucy Potter said to her son; James nodded.

'See you later, Mum' he said. Lucy smiled and nodded before she and her husband disapparated. Sirius tapped James on the shoulder and pointed to Kas. She was standing still, looking up at the silhouette of a crumbling house; Sirius looked at James before walking forward.

'Kas?'

She looked at him, tears were starting to well in her eyes; she blinked them back.

'Di… Did… Did you-' she paused, 'Why are we here?'

James and Sirius looked at each other, wondering how to phrase the answer. Finally, Sirius answered.

'We brought you here so you could see the wolves' he answered. After a few moments of silence Kas started to smile; then she ran forward and hugged them both. Sirius smiled at James over Kas' shoulder.

'Come on, we've only got until 9' James said. The three teenagers started to walk into the dense forest around the crumbling remains of the house.

'How far in do we have to go?' Sirius asked as they climbed over the trunk of a tree that had fallen across their path.

'We're almost there, we just keep going until we find the crooked tree and then turn right and follow the animal path to the large boulder and the cave is just up the hill to the left' Kas explained.

'Shit' James cursed as his foot got caught on one of the branches and he fell into the ditch that the tree had provided a sort of bridge over.

'You ok?' Sirius called from the top of the ditch.

'Just about' James grumbled and scrambled up the side, slipping back a few centimetres on every step. Finally he reached the top.

'Great, Mum's gonna kill me' he groaned as he saw th dirt that had planted itself on the front of his jumper.

'Be thankful it wasn't snow. It would have been even harder to get up' Kas said coming back; James saw Sirius trying to keep a straight face.

'You laugh and you're going in as well' James threatened. Sirius snorted; James grabbed his arm and dragged him down so he fell face first into the ditch.

'Git' Sirius grumbled as he started to scramble up the side; he grabbed hold of James' ankle to hoist himself over the side. Kas started to laugh.

'You two act like two year olds' she said with a smile on her face; James and Sirius grinned.

'You love us really' Sirius said with a wink. Kas rolled her eyes and shook her head before they started walking again.

'Is this it?' James asked as they reached the bottom of a hill. Kas nodded; and then, before either of them could stop her, she had started to run up the slope. After a few moments of stunned silence the boys tore after her. She disappeared over the top before they'd reached the half way point. A few minutes later they puffed to the top and saw Kas standing rooted to the spot as she looked at a cave. Except the top of the cave had partially caved in and there were signs that there had been human activity here not long ago. Bushes and trees had been uprooted and cut down and boot prints were everywhere. Obviously this had happened only a few days ago.

'Kas-'

Sirius made to take her hand but she started to walk forward towards the cave.

'Kas' Sirius called. He and James stood side by side and looked around them.

'Why would this have happened?' Sirius asked; James looked down and saw that at one point the footprints ended suddenly.

'Wizards' he said quietly, pointing at the footprints, 'They apparated here; there's scorch marks in some places. Wizards did this.'

Sirius looked at him and James was scared of his friend; his eyes had darkened and, for a few minutes, it looked like he might blow up the whole clearing. Sirius' mouth had gone tight and James saw a muscle twitch in his neck, a certain danger sign meaning that Sirius' temper was about to boil over.

'It was him' Sirius said, voice dripping poison, 'It was Harstone.'

Now it was James' turn to become angry.

'Why would he do it?' Sirius asked, eyes darker than James had ever seen them.

'Because she came to mine over Christmas, she defied him' James said quietly, he clenched his fists and hung his head, 'if I hadn't suggested it this wouldn't have happened.'

Sirius looked at his best friend, and placed a hand on his shoulder, 'It's not your fault, James. He probably would have done it anyway.'

James' face darkened at the last comment. 'That's just it Sirius, he would have done. And do you realise that Kas has got to go back to him every holiday until next Christmas?'

The two boys froze and looked at each other; they had known Kas' wedding was scheduled for next Christmas but they had never said it out loud; and now they realised that there was only one year left. They turned to look at Kas who was knelt in front of the cave. Sirius walked over and knelt down beside her.

'Come on, Kas' he said quietly. James came over and knelt on her other side.

'Why?' she whispered, almost too quiet for them to hear. Sirius drew her into a hug as a few snowflakes started to fall from the sky. Sirius looked at James, helplessly from over Kas' shoulder; if anything scared James about Sirius more than him being angry beyond control it was when he looked so utterly helpless. The snow started to fall slightly heavier and the wind made it fly in circles around the three teenagers knelt on the ground. Then a howl pierced the frozen air; the three teenagers looked up to the top of the cliff where the cave was and saw a white wolf. The she-wolf was looking down at the three teenagers, but only Kas knew that it was watching them with two dark blue eyes.

'Shadowmoon!' Kas jumped up and ran towards the wolf; the wolf started to lope down the cliff and they met half way, rolling almost the whole way down. Tears leaked out of Kas' eyes as she embraced the wolf.

'I thought you were dead' she whispered. James and Sirius helped her up and the three of them followed Shadowmoon through the forest to the wolves' new den.

After about an hour of walking they arrived at a clump of bushes that concealed the entrance to the new home. Kas was immediately greeted by more wolves; but when three pups were led out by an older wolf she picked all three of them up and lovingly embraced all three of them. One of them was a light grey, the second was pure black, and the third was white with splashes of black and grey in its coat. After a few more minutes Kas transformed into a wolf and the three pups ran up to her; she lay down and curled herself around them. James took Sirius' arm and led him to a small stream a few metres away so they could try and wash their hands after falling into the ditch earlier.

When they came back Kas picked up the grey pup and placed it in Sirius' lap, she then picked up the black pup and placed it in James' lap before she turned back into a human and picked up the third pup. The rest of the trip was spent playing with the pups, plus the ones that the back had had when Kas had come back to the forest a few years ago; they watched them whilst the pack went on a hunt. James checked his watch, it was 7pm and it had taken them about three hours to get here; he cursed quietly and stood up.

'We've gotta go, it took us bout three hours to get here and we've only got two to get back' he said; Sirius stood up. The two boys waited for Kas to say goodbye to the pack; James heard her speak to her pups.

'Be good, I'll see you again one day. I promise'

He felt a lump rise in his throat and tried to swallow it quickly. Shadowmoon and Ebony walked back with them as far as the boulder, but they had to return to the pack's home. They had told the teenagers that a group of five men had come to their old home out of thin air and started to blast it apart. They had fled and had only lost one pup, they had wandered around for a few days and then they had found the new cave and had settled in immediately. Since Kas had left them two male wolves had joined them and it had been the first time she had met them. One was a dark grey male, built like an alpha with a white underbelly; the other was brown with a dark underbelly. Since they had joined the pack had had another litter of pups.

The two boys had decided that it had been Harstone that had attacked the wolves and that a group of his friends had gone with him; Sirius suspected his own father had been involved and that his uncle had also taken part, however they didn't mention it to Kas. Maybe, if there was an appropriate moment they would mention it but they didn't want to bring it up. They walked steadily back to the tree that Kas had mentioned on their way there; when they got to the tree trunk and ditch the snow had placed a covering on the trunk making it slippery to cross; they stood looking at it for a few moments, around them the snow got steadily heavier.

'We're going to have to cross it, we can't go around it'll take too long and we've only got 10 minutes to get back' James said; the other two nodded and they started to cross. James went first, followed by Sirius, and then Kas; they went slowly, sliding precariously at some points and using the branches to stabilise them. By now the snow had become harder and the wind had picked up, blowing the snow into their faces and making visibility difficult.

'I don't remember the tree being this big on the way here' Sirius roared over the wind.

'Just keep moving' James said looking at his watch with a sinking feeling; his mum was going to kill him for this, they only had five minutes to get back. That was when his foot slipped and he had to grab the trunk to stop from falling into the ditch again.

'James! You ok mate?' Sirius asked, coming up and giving James a hand to help him back up. Kas came up behind Sirius and grabbed onto his jacket to steady him as James grabbed his hand; that was when James saw the black shape through the white snow.

_A/N: OMG I'm soooo sorry it took so long for me to update. begs for forgiveness on knees please don't kill me everyone. Well I've got all of tomorrow to write and then we're going down to Cornwall for a few days so I'm going to take a lot of paper with me and start writing some more on the journey. I'll try and have another update by the end of the week but I don't know when I'm getting back on Sunday. If anyone saw Doctor Who Doomsday please tell me I'm not the only one who's sad because Rose is gone… I mean I knew it was going too happen but it's still sad. Anyway thanks for reading and please review. throws cookies to all her patient readers and reviewers in fact reviewers can have chocolate cookies throws them out_

_Ciao for now_

_Starsword_


	38. A Ditch, A Cloaked Stranger, And Explana

**Chapter 37 – A Ditch, A Cloaked Stranger, And Explanations**

James yelled a warning as the figure stepped back and disappeared into the snow covered forest.

'There's someone over there' he yelled; Kas looked round but the snow was so heavy and the wind so strong it was difficult to see.

'Come on, we better get back' Sirius said as he hauled James up; that was when a jet of light came from where the figure had been standing and sent Sirius tumbling into the ditch, taking James and Kas with him.

'What the hell?' Sirius yelled, picking himself up out of the snow; however it was so powdery he just slipped back down to his waist.

'Who's there?' James yelled, standing up and sinking down like Sirius.

'Shut up!' Kas hissed, 'If they've already attacked us they won't be afraid to do it again.'

The three teenagers stood in snow up to their waists for a few moments.

'What do we do now?' James asked, looking up at the sides of the ditch, which were covered in snow and were going to be a lot harder to climb than before.

'We've gotta get outta this ditch, otherwise we'll end up freezing to death. The snow's already up to our waists if we stay here much long we'll be covered completely' Sirius yelled over the wind, 'Come on.'

And with that the three teenagers started to try and wade their way through the snow to the sides of the ditch; they'd only gone a few metres when another jet of light came towards them.

'Get down!'

They jumped forwards into the snow as the light missed James' ear by a few centimetres; looking up he saw the figure on the tree above them. The figure raised their wand and sent a mound of snow falling on top of them, successfully burying the three teenagers below him. They waited only a few seconds to make sure all of them had been covered before disappearing with a flick of his cloak.

Sirius opened his eyes to darkness; cursing silently he received a nasty shock when he realised that every time he breathed in he also breathed in a mouthful of snow. He started to dig, hoping that it was the way up, but as he did he felt the snow around him slip into the hole. He tried to turn over and only managed to get a mouthful of snow; he started to panic and clawed at the snow around him. Suddenly Sirius' head found a clear area of air and he realised he was out of the snow. He lay with most of his body still buried in snow and took a few deep breaths to calm him before he started to free the rest of his body. Looking up Sirius noticed that the cloaked stranger had disappeared; he got to his knees and then started to scrape away the snow, hoping to find James or Kas. After a few minutes his frozen fingers found another pair of fingers, trying to dig their way out of the snow; both pairs of hands frantically started to dig and soon James managed to climb out of the snow.

'Where's Kas?' James asked; both boys looked around helplessly, trying to see if Kas had made her way out of the snow.

'Come on, dig!' Sirius yelled over the wind. The two boys started to throw snow everywhere as they searched for Kas; finally a hand grabbed hold of James' and he yelled to Sirius. After a few more minutes James managed to pull Kas out of the snow and the three teenagers sat shivering as the snow continued to fall around them.

'Come on, we have to get out of here, and fast' James said, he pulled Kas to her feet and the three of them started to stumble through the forest towards the remains of the house.

'WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?' was the first thing that came out of Lucy Potter's mouth when she saw them; she drew breath to start yelling again but, when she saw their cold, wet, tired and bruised bodies she stopped and she and her husband ran towards them.

'What happened?' Carl Potter asked as soon as they met them. Shivering from the cold James told his parents what had happened at the ditch as they produced cloaks for each of the teenagers.

'Right we're getting home right now; if that stranger's still out here I don't particularly want to have to fight him. Come on' Carl Potter said and, with the three teenagers, he and his wife apparated back to their home.

Once back at Cherry House James' mum gave them all fresh clothes and produced hot bathes for them, asking Lena to cook them all a hot meal and have hot drinks ready for them when they got out of the bathes. After an hour or so James, Sirius and Kas were all seated around the dining room table eating a hot meal provided by Lena and drinking hot chocolate; James' parents had gone into the study and low voices could be heard coming from there when they walked towards their rooms.

'See you guys tomorrow' Sirius said as they came to his room.

'Night' James answered.

'Night guys. And thanks for today' Kas said. The boys smiled at her before they all retired to their separate rooms for a much wanted good nights sleep.

About half an hour later Sirius was lying in his bed reading a Quidditch magazine James had lent him when there was a knock at his door.

'Come in' he called, still focused on the magazine in front of him; he heard the door open and close and he looked up. Kas was standing with her back against the door; she was still dressed in what she had changed into when they'd got back.

'What's wrong?' he asked, getting off the bed and walking towards her; she shook her head.

'Nothing. I just wanted to say thank you for today.'

'It was James' idea' Sirius confessed, Kas smiled and looked down.

'I just went to see him, he said you'd both been behind it but that you'd say it was all his idea.'

Sirius grinned, 'Just like James'

Kas laughed, 'Yeah. Unfortunately it seems Lily thinks he takes the credit for everything.'

Sirius laughed as well, 'Yeah; she's got the wrong idea of him entirely.'

'Tell me about it. You don't wanna be in the dorm when she's ranting about him; I hate it even more because I know most of it isn't true.'

'Yeah well you haven't been at the receiving end of one of James' rants on how great Lily is; it's starting to bore me actually. I'm tempted to change her hair colour so he'll have something new to talk about.'

Kas laughed again, 'Do you want to see your fifth year at Hogwarts?'

Sirius suddenly became very serious (_A/N: no pun intended by the way_) 'No I don't.'

Kas looked up with a frown.

'Because then you'll have left us forever, and I never want that day to come.'

Kas looked out of the window, 'I don't have a choice Sirius. You know what his reaction was like when I defied him by coming here for the holidays. I think it was him who went after the wolves; and all because I didn't do as he said for one holiday. Think what he'd be like if I tried to escape.'

'Yeah, me and James thought it was him as well; we didn't want to say anything though.'

Kas sighed, 'If only there was someway-'

Sirius went over and brought her into a hug; Kas rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist.

'I'm sorry, Sirius. I'm sorry for everything. All I want is for us to be together and Everytime we get close something happens and we have to stop' Kas felt a tear leak from one of her eyes. Sirius stayed silent for a moment and then looked down at the top of her head.

'We could continue as we were before; in secret. No one would have to know, we could do it. Please Kas, we could try at least; even if it's not everyday at least we could try.'

Kas looked up at him and met his gaze or a brief moment before sighing and nodding.

'Alright, we can try. But if Mike or Harstone finds out we're both in a lot of trouble. There's only so much Dumbledore and the other teachers can do against Harstone; against Mike we'll be ok I guess but Harstone…' Kas shook her head.

'He's a madman. He'd do anything to get what he wants and he'll do anything to anyone to make them do what he wants. He's got connections all the way up to Voldemort; I've heard him talking to people in the grate when I've gone past his door once or twice. If we take on Harstone we're taking on most of Voldemort's inner circle, and that is something I really don't want to do. We're 14 for Merlin's sake, we can't take on all those fully trained wizards,' she paused and looked back up at Sirius who was watching her intently as she spoke; she'd never said so much about her guardian before and to hear it all now, was nothing short of terrifying.

'I'm scared of him Sirius, more than I've ever been scared of anyone in my life. I don't know why but I feel as if I knew him before he came for me at Hogwarts; its driving me mad, it's like I've missed something. Some major detail and it won't leave me alone.'

Kas moved closer to Sirius to get closer to the warmth of his body; Sirius' arms tightened around her.

'I swear that if there is something I can do I'll do it to keep you safe' he whispered to her.

A few days later Remus appeared in the grate of James' library; James and Sirius were in the middle of a chess match and Kas was curled up on the sofa reading. She smiled at him as he appeared in the grate.

'Hey Remus, how was your Christmas?' Kas asked, giving her friend a hug. She saw him wince as she pulled away.

'What happened?' she asked; Remus smiled bitterly.

'Full moon; wasn't one of the best I've had but hey, I've had worse' he said, putting on a brave face that did nothing to stop his friends worried looks.

'Remus, we're not buying it mate' James said, standing up and looking Remus over, trying to work out where all his injuries were. He noticed that Remus carried his left arm tenderly and there was the start of a gash just visible at the neck of his shirt.

'Oh alright, it was bloody terrible. I haven't been able to sleep well since' he answered falling into a chair and leaving his suitcase by the grate.

'Why not?' Sirius asked, sitting on the sofa opposite with Kas curling up next to him. Remus shot James a look which James answered with a shrug.

'Nightmares. I haven't had them for a while, they were worse when I was first bitten. I keep having flashbacks from the full moons, and trust me you wouldn't sleep if they kept popping up in your dreams' Remus answered, 'Anyway it looks like I'm not the only person whose been in the wars, what happened to you three? You're covered in scratches.'

Sirius explained their trip to the forest and about the cloaked stranger; Remus sat deep in thought throughout the whole thing.

'So you have no idea who it was?' Remus asked, Kas snorted.

'Oh I have a very good idea of who it was' she said darkly, 'There's only one person who would have guessed I'd be there this holidays and that's Harstone. He's the only one who's crazy enough to attempt to do something like that to three teenagers they possibly don't know' her face darkened, 'He'll probably be upset we, or more I, made it out alive.'

The four of them sat in silence for a few minutes before Lena walked in.

'Is there anything I can get you, Sirs and Miss?' she squeaked.

'Would you mind taking Remus' case up to his room, please Lena?' James asked the house elf. Lena obliged with a quick curtsy and left the four friends alone. James and Sirius went back to their game while Remus and Kas started to talk about the holidays; Remus tactfully keeping the subject away from Harstone. However he couldn't keep from questioning after about 10 minutes when he saw something on Kas' arm.

'Kas, you're bleeding' he said, Kas looked down in surprise and saw her forearms seeping blood. She cursed quietly; James and Sirius looked up. James walked over and grabbed her hand before leading her out to the kitchen where his parents' medical kit was, shooting a glance at Sirius to keep Remus occupied. When they reached the kitchens James made Kas sit at the table and then went to the cupboard.

'Thank you James' Kas said quietly as he made his way over with some fresh bandages; he smiled.

'Don't mention it; I'm just glad I can be of use at the moment.'

He knelt in front of her and untied the bandages, taking out some more cream and smoothing it over the cuts; Kas winced slightly as the bandages were peeled off, taking some of the scabs with them. It was the first time she'd seen the cuts since the night she'd received her guardian's letter, she hadn't realised she'd cut so deep. When James had finished applying the new bandages he handed her a small glass of potion.

'You better take this just incase. It should help with the healing; it's a shame we're not of age otherwise we could heal them straight away, unfortunately this is the best we can do' he said as he put the medical kit away.

'We better get back, Remus is probably wondering what the hell's going on' he said when Kas had finished the potion. She nodded and they stood up to return to the library.

'What happened, Sirius?' Remus asked as soon as Kas and James were out the door; Sirius just looked down at the carpet. Remus stood up and knelt in front of Sirius' chair.

'Sirius?'

Sirius looked up and Remus was shocked to see a deadened look in his eyes, little did he know he's be seeing a lot more of that deadened look when James' son was thirteen years old. Sirius opened his mouth to say something but closed it and shook his head. Remus was worried, he'd never seen Sirius like this and, in truth, it scared him.

'Sirius what happened?' Remus asked again; Sirius stood up and pushed past him to look out of the window.

'Sirius-'

'Just leave it, Remus!' Sirius snapped; Remus was getting more scared by the minute.

'But-'

Just then the door opened and James and Kas walked back in; James' eyes flickered from Sirius standing by the window to Remus stood in the middle of the room. Kas nodded to James and then went and sat down on one of the chairs. She faced Remus as James walked up beside his best friend.

'I suppose you want to know what happened' she said quietly. Remus nodded, James saw Sirius stiffen and placed an arm over his best friend's shoulder.

'Come on' he whispered and the two of them walked quietly out of the room and Kas started to tell Remus what had happened the day her guardian had sent her the letter. James led Sirius outside to the side of the lake in the grounds and the two boys sat down. After a few minutes of silence James spoke up.

'What's wrong Sirius?' he asked his best friend; Sirius turned to look at James, opened his mouth and started to speak.

_A/N: Just thought I'd leave it on another cliff hanger for you. Well thank you to al my wonderful reviewers and to all my readers throws cookies out for everyone I love you all!_

_Anyway next chapter is the end of the Christmas holidays and I promise there will be more pranks and Quidditch matches from now on, and I will start the Hogsmeade weekends, I couldn't believe it when I realised I hadn't had one yet!_

_Anyway I think that's all for now, next chapter should be up soon, hopefully._

_Ciao for now_

_Starsword_


	39. Makeovers

**Chapter 38 – Makeovers**

'See you tomorrow then, Lils' Kathy said cheerfully. Lily waved goodbye and walked home, a smile playing on her face. Kathy, Kim, Honey, and Catherine had all said they'd take her into town and give her a make over as a Christmas treat. As she walked through the door not even Petunia's snide remarks could dampen her spirits as she went into the living room to tell her mother the final plans for tomorrow.

The next morning Lily woke up and hurriedly got ready before taking her bag downstairs and eating a quick breakfast.

'See you later' she called to her mother as she walked out of the house.

'Have fun Lily!' her mother called.

Lily walked to the club, looking forward to her day out in the town with the girls. When she arrived at the Club she saw the four girls walking out of the door and she waved to them. Kim saw her and smiled as she waved back and the five girls met at Cat's car, they all climbed in as Cat started the engine. After a very interesting 10 minute car journey they pulled into the car park of a shopping centre and they all climbed out. After Cat had bought the parking ticket they headed into the centre.

'Ok Flower. We've got a few hours to give you a complete make over and make you one of the most sought after girls at your school. Let's get started' Honey said, rubbing her hands together and dragging Lily into the nearest shop; Kim, Kathy, and Cat right behind them.

After an hour Lily was allowed out of the clothes shop with a shopping bag bulging with new clothes.

'Quick question, if we keep on like this how do you expect me to have any money left? Oh, and how am I supposed to get all this to school?' Lily asked; Kim grinned.

'That's two questions, Flower. Come on we're going to Laura's place' she said; Lily smiled despite herself.

'Laura's doing my hair?' she asked as she was led into a hairdresser.

'Yep, and ears' Cat said waving to Laura who smiled and waved back.

'Be over in a minute' she called to them.

'Ears?' Lily asked, Kim nodded.

'We thought we'd treat you to a hair style and ear piercing' she said. Lily gaped.

'You what?' she asked. The other girls grinned at her as Laura came over.

'Alright, Lily Flower let's get started' she said with a grin. Lily smiled and shook her head as she stood up to follow her friend.

'Don't worry Lils, we can be planning while your hairs being done' Cat called after her.

'If anything that's gonna make me worry' Lily muttered to herself as Laura started to restyle her hair.

Many shops, purchases and a few snacks later Lily stumbled through the door to her home with her shopping.

'Mum, I'm back!' she called out; Mrs Evans appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, soapy gloves holding a frying pan she'd obviously been washing when Lily came in. When she saw her daughter Mrs Evans dropped the pan in shock.

'Mum, what's wrong?' Lily asked worriedly. Her mother smiled at her.

'Oh Lily you look absolutely beautiful! I think maybe we should have made you go to that club before you know.'

Lily laughed; her mother had taken her make over well then. Since Lily had joined the club she'd learnt a lot of things she'd never even have thought she could do. Bradley, who wanted to become a dancing instructor and who had taken to Lily had started to teach her different dance moves to different forms of dancing, a skill she had picked up easily. Kim had started to teach her some gymnastic moves; Gemma, who had attended many different martial arts classes and was a trainee instructor had started to teach them all various forms of martial arts and Sam, who had been teaching everyone at random intervals, had taught Lily some forms of self defence.

Lily went upstairs to her bedroom to pack ready for going back to Hogwarts the next day; although she couldn't wait to see her friends she was slightly upset at having to leave her new friends behind. However since she had promised to write, and they'd promised to reply to every letter, she decided to look forward to everyone's reactions when they saw her after her 'makeover' and try and remember that she'd be able to see them when she came back for Easter. With that thought in mind she finished her packing, set aside something to wear tomorrow on the train before changing into her robes and went to bed, exhausted after a day being dragged round every shop imaginable.

Lily was sat in a compartment reading a book and waiting for her friends when a squeal made her look up. Rose was standing in the doorway with her mouth hanging open.

'Lily?'

'Hey Rose' Lily said cheerfully.

'Who made you look even more gorgeous than you did already?' Rose asked, Lily laughed and the two girls hugged each other. Lily told her about the club and the people in it as she helped Rose put her trunk on the racks. They sat down and Rose took out some chocolate and the two girls talked about their Christmas holidays, Rose told Lily about her cousin coming over from America and living with her and her parents.

'Do you know what house he's going to be in?' Lily asked Rose; she nodded.

'We contacted Dumbledore and he arranged for Cornelius to go and try on the Sorting Hat, he's in Hufflepuff' she answered; at that moment Diana and Emma walked in and all four girls squealed. Diana and Emma had both had their hair cut so it was shoulder length and had highlighted some strands.

'Has everyone had a makeover this Christmas?' Rose asked; the others laughed. Just then Kas walked in and froze.

'What the hell happened here? Has someone changed the way everyone looks or something?' she asked; the other four girls laughed and dragged her into a huge group hug.

'You all look great by the way' Kas said once she'd gotten up off the floor. Lily's hair was now just past her shoulders and had been feathered at the sides with highlights around her head; she'd put some make up on and, though not too noticeable, it made a big difference. After about half an hour of the train starting the compartment door opened and the Marauders stepped in.

'Wow' was the first thing that came out of a stunned James' mouth when he opened the door; behind him the others had similar reactions.

'What do you want?' Lily snapped at the stunned boys; Rose and Kas were fighting the urge to burst out laughing. Rose looked at Remus and nudged Kas, nodding towards the werewolf; Kas followed Remus' gaze and saw him looking at Diana. The two girls started to giggle and ended up laughing uncontrollably. The four boys looked at them in slight confusion before walking out of the compartment before they made even bigger prats of themselves.

The Hogwarts Express pulled up at Hogsmeade a few hours later and the five girls climbed off, running through the rain to the nearest carriage. Kas laughing at the others as they ran, yelling through the rain; she'd refrained from telling them much about her Christmas holidays, just sticking to talk about the wolves if they ever asked her. They'd all been really interested by Lily's story of the club she'd joined and laughed at the many stories she told them about the various members, especially the story about Pete and the turkeys, and hardly believing her when she told them about the Christmas party she'd taken part in. The journey up to the school was filled with laughter, broken only when Rose noticed who was getting out of the carriage next to theirs.

'Err… guys we might want to hurry up and get inside, the rain's coming down harder.' Rose said, grabbing Lily's arm and starting to walk towards the Entrance Hall. She shot a look at Diana and Emma and they looked to the side; Diana took hold of Kas' arm and the five girls hurried inside.

'Rose, what are you doing?' Lily asked once they were in the Entrance Hall. Rose glanced nervously over Lily's shoulder; Lily turned around and saw Ben hurrying towards her.

'Lily! Slow down, I thought there was someone chasing you' he joked; Lily managed to smile at him but gave Rose a look that plainly told her to get Kas inside the Great Hall before Mike came over. Diana, Emma and Kas hurried into the Great Hall while Rose stayed with Lily.

'So, you planning on going to those Hogsmeade trips they're starting?' Ben asked; Lily nodded.

'I read the letter they sent my parents and they agreed to let me go' she replied.

'Wanna go to the first one with me?' he asked her; Lily looked at Rose.

'We were planning on having a girls day out on the first trip. Maybe the one after' Lily said; Rose came over.

'We better be getting in, Lily. They'll be starting the feast soon' she said. Lily nodded, smiling gratefully at her friend.

'Bye' she said to Ben before turning around and walking into the Great Hall with her friend.

Once they'd sat down with their friends the talk turned to Hogsmeade; Kas stayed quiet throughout the whole conversation.

'What's wrong, Kas?' Diana asked her suddenly quiet friend. Kas smiled weakly at her.

'I can't go. My guardian won't sign the form' she explained. The other girls fell silent before Rose voiced a bold suggestion.

'Maybe you could ask the Marauders for a way into the village. I'm sure they'd know one' she said timidly. Lily's head snapped up.

'What?' she asked; Kas shook her head.

'I'm not asking the Marauders for any help whatsoever' Kas answered, but her mind was already wondering how she would voice the question to them.

A/N: Hello all! Sorry it's taken so long to update, I've been suffering from writer's block but I told myself to just sit down at the keyboard and finish this chapter, sorry if it's really bad. Thank you so much to all my patient readers and reviewers I love you all millions and millions and I never want you to change. I'm going to keep grovelling for forgiveness for not having updated in so long. I'M SORRY! FORGIVE ME! #carries on grovelling for another 5 pages…#

Have I grovelled enough yet? Well maybe I'll grovel some more next chapter… if I can get it written in good time. I am very busy though. I've got my AS levels, music practise, music lessons, orchestra, choir, work, and YE (young enterprise) to juggle as well as writing my stories. Take pity on me…

For those of you who might want to read them I've got a load of other stories I've posted and a new Buffy one about to go up soon. So I'm now juggling about 5 stories at once. I know, I know it's my own fault…

Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers chocolate cookies for you all throws out chocolate cookies for the reviewers with character pictures on them and for all you readers you can get lovely cookies as well throws out cookies with Hogwarts pictures on them for all the readers

And I apologise for my appalling grammar that I refuse to let HRH Imperial Princess (who is typing this now) correct it for me.

(It was correct in the first place)

**No it wasn't – look at all the missing punctuation! Mrs H would CRY!**

The PC said it was ok so therefore I saw it's ok! Lol

**Yes well it's a SCHOOL COMP! What do you expect? Eh? Eh? Eh?**

My one at home says it was ok as well…

**Yes well. . . looks around. . . ahem! It should be okay anyway, not ok HONESTLY -sigh-**

Yes well message from Barrier fic: "HRH Imperial Princess can go shove her orders and her corrections up her Royal arse!" – Spike.

**Needless to say, I have not resorted to immature remarks for a comeback! – Unlike SOME people! **

Yeah well I wouldn't be calling a 100 year old Master Vampire immature… his chip doesn't work in our plane you ninny.

**I just have – so stick that in your pipe and smoke it!**

Yes well this conversation/ argument… debate can continue at lunch we need to go save Janine from detention and go eat!

**Fine, but it's a heated discussion… let's go SAVE THE WORLD! Oh yeah, and review!**

Yes yes I shall review when I've actually got time to spare. Now let's stop taking up my chapter space with this conversation and go to lunch. I'm HUNGRY!

**. . . lunch? . . . alright then . . .**

Yes lunch where they serve food that is usually edible. And we have sausage rolls today… and lemon mousse afterwards ( though that mousse usually tastes like Fairy Liquid)

**Farewell, dear readers! Nutrition calls! X x x**

Ciao for now, and sorry for the long gap in updating,

Starsword


	40. Paving The Way For The Future

Chapter 39 – Paving The Way For The Future 

Kas hung about in the common room with Rose that night, finding any excuse to stay a little longer; waiting for a group of boys to turn up. Kas had a helpful piece of parchment tucked into her pocket, ready to use it to get them to come down if they went upstairs before the common room was empty. Mike had gone up to his dormitory ten minutes ago leaving the two girls, as Rose had put it, 'in peace'; Kas smiled at her friend.

'You don't have to stay if you don't want to,' she said to her brown haired friend; Rose shot her a look.

'I'm the only one who knows what you're doing,' Rose said, 'So I'm staying here to make sure you get what you want.'

Kas sighed, she knew she should tell Rose she was still friends with the Marauders, but she knew that if Lily or the others found out they wouldn't be the happiest people in the world.

'You okay, Kas?' Rose asked; Kas nodded.

'I know I'll get the way out, Rose,' she answered, 'I… I'm kinda still friends with them.'

Rose smiled, 'I guessed you were still relatively friendly with them,' she said, 'The tension isn't as palpable as it used to be.'

Kas grinned and looked into the fire, Rose raised an eyebrow.

'Is there something else you want to tell me?' she asked; Kas sighed.

'I spent Christmas with James and Sirius,' she answered; Rose rolled her eyes.

'You would, wouldn't you? Did you even go to the forest?' she asked; Kas looked down.

'The old den was destroyed, probably the work of wizards. The pack's moved to a new cave,' she said, Kas then explained about the walk back and the stranger that had attacked them on the log; she didn't mention anything about the letter she had received from Harstone, nor her attempted suicide. Rose sat in silent contemplation when Kas had finished her story.

'Kas, I have to admit this doesn't really surprise me, staying at James' I mean,' she said, 'You're the most secretive of the lot of us, and we _know_ there's things you don't want to tell us and we understand that. But if you want to be friends with the Marauders we won't mind _that_ much. Well Lily might, but that's Lily,' Rose said; Kas laughed a little at the last bit.

'It's not just that,' she said quietly; Rose frowned in thought for a few minutes and then it dawned on her.

'It's Harstone as well isn't it?' she asked. Kas nodded.

'And Mike,' she replied. Rose cursed.

'Kas you've got to live the life you have the way you want it and not let them control you. Harstone I can see why you let him control you, you have no choice, but Mike? Tell McGonagall or someone and live like you want to. You've got until next Christmas to be who you want, don't let a guy whose so thick he needs a map to find his way around the dorm room control you as well.'

It was one of those few times when any of the Florettes had mentioned Kas' wedding out loud, and it was mainly that fact that got Kas thinking.

'Me and Sirius are seeing each other in secret,' she said quietly so no one else could hear. To Kas' surprise Rose smiled happily and hugged her friend.

'Thank Merlin for that,' she said, releasing her friend, 'He makes you happy, Kas, we can all see that; when Lily's in a non-judgemental mood about the Marauders she can see it too.'

Kas smiled at her friend and drew her back into a tight hug, 'Thanks, Rose.'

Rose returned the hug with a smile, 'Anytime, Kas, anytime.'

As the girls pulled away the last group of Gryffindors went up to their rooms, leaving the two girls alone.

'How long do you think it's gonna be before they come back?' Rose asked, looking at the clock that read 11pm.

'My guess is anytime now,' Kas replied. Just as she said it the portrait door swung open and the boys in question walked through. The two girls stood up and met the Marauders half way across the common room.

'What do you want, Starsword?' James asked, Kas rolled her eyes.

'She knows James, don't worry. I came clean to her, but none of the others yet,' she said; Rose smiled slightly. The Marauders breathed a collective sigh of relief.

'We've had a girly heart-to-heart whilst we waited for you lot to show up. Where were you?' she asked them.

'What you don't know can't hurt you,' Sirius replied, with a cheeky grin, earning him an eye roll from Rose.

'I need a way out of Hogwarts into Hogsmeade,' Kas said; all four of the boys looked at her with raised eyebrows.

'You want what?' Remus asked.

'I want a way out of the castle without being seen so I can get into Hogsmeade; Harstone didn't sign the form so I can't go otherwise,' she replied.

'Why didn't you ask James' parents to sign it like I did?' Sirius asked, Kas rolled her eyes.

'Because Harstone is my legal guardian, only he could sign it; you're lucky that they accepted Lucy's signature,' she told him.

'There's one entrance that goes underneath the Whomping Willow, it's behind a mirror,' James replied, 'We'll show you where it is tomorrow. Be careful though, the roof's not completely stable but it should be safe enough.'

Kas smiled gratefully and hugged them all in turn, 'Thanks guys, you're the best.'

'You better get to bed before anyone catches you up at this hour, don't want to get in trouble now do we?' Sirius said with a grin, the girls just rolled their eyes and waved goodbye as the Marauders went upstairs to bed. Kas and Rose turned to go up the stairs as Lily came down them.

'What was that about? Were they being gits again?' she asked them; Rose tried not to look at Kas for fear of laughing at that statement.

'As always,' Kas replied, 'Come on we better get up to bed.'

Lily shot Rose a questioning look, as if she didn't believe Kas' story but Rose nodded in agreement and the three friends walked up the stairs to their dorm room.

& & & & & & & & &

The next morning Kas hurried along the corridors of the fourth floor, her bag over her shoulder. She'd agreed to meet the Marauders opposite the large mirror on the fourth floor and they only had twenty minutes until Charms started. She slowed as she neared the corridor; she rounded a corner and saw the four boys by the large ornate mirror. She grinned and put a finger to her lips as Remus noticed her walking towards them. She stopped right behind James.

'So how do I get through the mirror?' she asked right next to his ear. James jumped a foot in the air as Remus chuckled. James mock glared at her.

'Is that anyway to greet the people who're about to help you sneak out of school?' he asked. Kas grinned.

'No, that's the way to greet a Marauder: be the one to make _them_ jump for once,' she answered.

'Anyway,' Remus said, before they got into a mock argument, 'We better be quick, we've got twenty minutes until Charms and we need to run back to Gryffindor Tower to get your bags.'

'Because Remus was the only responsible one and remembered his bag,' Sirius said with a roll of his eyes. Kas grinned.

'Why does that not surprise me?'

James chuckled, 'Can't imagine the reason…'

'Anyway,' Remus said, cutting them off again, 'It's really simple.'

'You touch the dome on the right hand frame third up from the bottom with your wand,' James said.

'The mirror slides open an you climb in, it slides shut behind you and then you follow the tunnel,' Sirius said.

'The tunnel comes up in the alley behind Zonko's. When you close the trapdoor it looks like the entrance to a cellar and it's next to Zonko's one,' Remus finished.

'So make sure you remember which one it is, and then climb back through on the way back. When you want to climb back out of the mirror just place your palm on the back of the mirror and it slides open,' Sirius told her. Kas nodded.

'Simple enough. Thanks guys you really are life savers,' she said, giving each of them a hug.

'It's nothing. We might as well use what we know to help out friends,' James said; Kas grinned.

'We still meeting in the Room of Requirement tonight?' she asked; Remus nodded.

'Do want one of us to meet you outside the common room with the cloak?' James asked; Kas shook her head.

'I'll be fine. If I get caught I'll think of some excuse to give McGonagall,' she told them. Peter shrugged.

'Better than we can do anyway. Sirius' excuse is that he was sleepwalking,' he said. Sirius scowled at Peter.

'I used that _once_,' he said. Kas snorted.

'Great excuse, Sirius,' she said, Remus laughed.

'Yeah you were also fully dressed which _really_ made that excuse believable,' Peter retorted.

'James once said we'd been doing some late night Quidditch practise and had lost track of time. I think McGonagall would have believed us if we'd had our brooms with us,' Remus said.

'As amusing as this is we've now got ten minutes to get to Charms,' James said, scowling at Remus. The five students walked off and Kas broke off from the other four as they headed back to Gryffindor Tower.

& & & & & & &

The day passed fairly uneventfully: James and Sirius managed to stay out of detention, Lily and James only had one argument that lasted a timed three minutes and 45 seconds before Lily turned and stormed off, Mike and Ben only managed to corner the girls once at lunch and they managed to get away fairly quickly, they only had three essays set for that night, and the Marauders had only jinxed five separate Slytherins and only three had had to go to the Hospital Wing. So all in all it had been a fairly boring day. Until everyone was in the common room after dinner.

The Florettes were sat around one of the larger tables, each of them trying to finish homework that had been left over from a few nights ago to make time for other homework assignments that had more pressing deadlines; and considering they had little homework that evening, they were taking the time to try and get as much finished as possible. Rose yawned and stretched as she finally finished her Charms essay, waiting for the ink to dry before she rolled it up and put it back in her bag. Just then the Marauders entered through the portrait hole, laughing loudly at something that had just happened. Lily, whose Transfiguration essay had succeeded in giving her a headache, turned blazing eyes to the four boys.

'Would you mind keeping it down? Some of us are trying to work,' she snapped, at one of the other tables a group of students studying for their NEWTS nodded agreement.

'Start thinking how to beg forgiveness, boys, we disturbed the high and mighty Lily Evans,' James said, sarcasm dripping from his every word. Lily slammed her book shut and stood up to face him; they were only a few feet apart and the glares they were sending each other would have killed both of them before they had time to blink.

'Lily sit down,' Kas said quietly, hoping to stop the argument before it actually got into full swing. Once they started it took a while for it to stop and it would only stop if one of them stormed off. That one usually being Lily.

'Just because some of us are trying to work so we actually _get_ somewhere in life, doesn't mean you have to get all snarky with me, Potter,' she snapped. James' eyes narrowed.

'What are you implying, Evans? That I'm not going to get anywhere in life just because I actually have _fun_ as well as work?' he demanded.

Rose, Emma, Diana, and Kas exchanged worried glances over the table. Emma shrugged, she didn't care whether they intervened or not, if the others did then she would help, if they didn't she would let the argument run its course; Diana shook her head, more beneficial to their health if they just left them argue it out, it was amazing they'd lasted this long without a full blown argument as it was. Rose, however, nodded at Kas; it would be better if they stopped the argument now and got Lily upstairs to cool off.

'Lily, sit down,' Rose said, a little louder than Kas had done. Lily seemed to ignore both of them.

'I'm not implying _anything_, Potter, merely stating the facts that some of us are _working_ to _get somewhere_ in life so we can get a _good_ job,' she spat. Kas saw Remus look down at that comment. No matter how hard he worked he would probably never be able to get a job because of what he was.

'Look Evans-'

'Will both of you SHUT UP!'

If the common room had been quiet before it was silent now. You could have heard a pin drop; you could certainly hear the fire crackling in the fireplace.

'All we ever hear is you two arguing, you can't _ever_ have a civil conversation with each other and it's driving me nuts! Can you please just stop and walk away without either of you storming off for once? Better yet can you put aside your _petty_ differences and start acting your age and start being _civil_?'

If anyone's temper was more dangerous than James or Lily's it was Kas' or Remus' and only because they very rarely lost their tempers. Of course the only person who could have made it worse decided to stand up and walk over at that precise moment.

'Just leave them alone, Kas, it'll be better for everyone if they just fight it out and get rid of the tension that's been building up all day,' Mike said, slinging an arm around Kas' waist. Kas caught Rose's gaze and saw the unspoken order in her friend's blue eyes. Take back your life Kas. A memory from the other night came flying back to Kas.

'_Kas you've got to live the life you have the way you want it and not let them control you…You've got until next Christmas to be who you want, don't let a guy whose so thick he needs a map to find his way around the dorm room control you as well.'_

'Get the hell away from me, Peterson,' Kas said, her voice low and dangerous. People turned their heads in shock to look at the pair. Kas turned and stepped away from Mike, facing him, her eyes blazing. Mike blinked in surprise.

'Come on, Kas, let's go outside. You're angry and upset and you're not thinking straight-'

'No, Mike, for once in this whole relationship I _am_ thinking straight,' Kas replied, voice as cold as ice, 'Now get the hell away from me and _stay_ away. It's over. I'm not going to live with a controlling manipulative bastard as my supposed boyfriend.'

Mike's eyes narrowed, 'Don't you-'

'NO, Mike, don't _you_ even think about telling me I'm making a mistake or tell me not to do this. Get the hell away from me and my friends, and _stay away_. If you come near us again I'll do what I should have done a long time ago and go straight to McGonagall and get _her_ to get the message to stay away implanted in your head,' Kas said. Mike made to walk towards her but Kas took her wand out.

'What part are you having trouble understanding?' she demanded; Mike raised his eyebrows.

'The part where you think you can duel me,' he replied, taking out his own wand. There was a bang and three beams of light hit Mike in the chest; Kas looked behind her and saw James, Sirius, and Remus all with their wands out. Lily's hand was in her robes taking her wand out and the other Florettes had just taken their wands out as well.

'Now I think you lot,' James said, looking at Mike's friends, 'Had better take him to the Hospital Wing before _we_ do.'

Shooting glares at them, but not daring to take on both the Marauders and Florettes in a duel, Mike's friends helped him to his feet. Mike shrugged them off and turned to face them again, his nose was bloody and he had a few green boils appearing on his face. Sirius stepped forward and put an arm around Kas' waist, as Mike had done a few minutes ago, and Kas leant slightly into him. A fire of rebellion had stirred inside her and she was damned if she was going to put it out. Mike's eyes narrowed to hatred filled slits.

'You fucking whore,' he spat, 'You were cheating on me.'

'Actually I think that's a bit hypocritical,' Kas said, 'Please don't for one moment think I wasn't smart enough _not_ to notice the one night stands you kept finding. I was just a toy to be flaunted in the public eye while you kept having fun with your one night stands in secret, thinking I wouldn't notice. So if anyone's the whore, Mike, it's _you_.'

Mike made to leap at her but his friends held him back; shooting glares at the pair before leading Mike out of the common room and towards the Hospital Wing. After a few moments of silence James yelled out over the common room.

'Oi! Don't you people have things to do?'

Instantly the noise level increased.

'Want to go for a walk outside?' he muttered into Kas' ear.

'Anywhere that isn't here,' she replied, casting a glance at Rose who grinned and winked. Kas grinned and looked at Lily. The red head just shook her head, but there was a smile on her face anyway.

'Give me a moment,' Kas said to Sirius, he nodded.

'I'll wait for you by the portrait hole,' he told her. Kas walked up to Lily.

'Surprised?' she asked, Lily laughed.

'For once, no,' she replied, 'And believe or not I'm glad you two _are_ together. Now it's my turn to surprise you. As long as you and Sirius are together I'll _try_ and be civil with Potter.'

Kas laughed, 'Lily, you know I love right?'

'You better,' Lily laughed, 'I'm going to be civil with the world's biggest arsehole for you.'

'I'm not asking you to be civil to Mike or Ben you know,' Kas told her; Lily laughed and slapped her friend's arm.

'Alright, point taken,' she said. Kas hugged her friend.

'Thanks, Tiger,' she said; Lily shook her head.

'You owe me, Wolf.'

'That I do.'

'Now get going, I think Sirius is getting impatient,' she said, pointing to the Marauder who was leaning on the wall next to the portrait hole. Kas smiled at her friend, waved to the Florettes sat at the table and sent a mouthed 'Thank you' to the other Marauders before walking out the portrait hole with Sirius.

_A/N: I know I know it's taken me forever to update but the muses abandoned this story for a while. They seem to have partly returned though, so hopefully I can get some more updates in soon._

_Thank you to the people who have stuck with this fic for it's time ON HOLD, and thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I really do love you all and to prove it: a big cake each!_

_That is also my sorry gifts and hoping it's enough to bribe you into forgiving me. Please please PLEASE R&R… I know I don't deserve it but it would make me happy._

_Ciao for now_

_Starsword_


	41. Transfer Student

**Chapter 40 – Transfer Student**

James almost fell off of his chair the next morning at breakfast when the Florettes came down; the girls sat with them for once, if that wasn't surprising enough, but what shocked him most was when he spoke to Lily.

'Morning, Lily,' he said, hoping that he wouldn't get anything thrown at him for his troubles.

'Morning, Potter,' she said, then turned back to talk to Diana. The four Marauders sat in stunned silence. Kas tried to swallow her laugh.

'James, close your mouth before you swallow a fly,' she told him. James blinked at looked at her, rolling her eyes Kas reached across the table and physically shut his mouth.

'So much better,' she said, grinning as she turned to Lily.

'Lily, you've succeeded in making all four of the Marauders speechless at the same time. A feat no one thought it was possible to accomplish,' she said, Rose laughed and the twins snickered; Lily rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her face.

'Did that just happen?' Sirius asked from Kas' left.

'You mean did Lily actually say hello to James _without_ snapping at him or starting an argument? Yes she did,' Kas replied, 'Pass the marmalade.'

When neither Sirius nor James, who were the closest ones to the marmalade, didn't respond Kas rolled her eyes and reached across Sirius to grab the plate and then resumed her breakfast. James looked at Sirius, who shrugged and then continued with his own breakfast. James opened his mouth to say something to Remus when Dumbledore stood up and addressed the school.

'May I have your attention momentarily; I won't take long as I know some of you are probably still hungry and wish to return to breakfast. We have a student transferring here from America into fourth year; she will be arriving tonight and will be in Gryffindor. I'm sure you will all make her feel welcome here. Thank you.'

The Marauders and Florettes looked at each other.

'A transfer student from America? I wonder what she's like,' Diana said; Emma shrugged.

'We'll find out tonight, I guess,' she replied.

& & & & & &

That day the fourth years could be found talking in groups about the new transfer student from America arriving that evening. Finally Gryffindor was huddled in the common room waiting for her to come in. As the hours went by more and more people went upstairs; the Marauders and Florettes were sat together by the fire, talking and finishing off their homework. Kas and Sirius were curled up together on one of the sofas, watching their friends and sniggering every so often at some of the comments made; Kas chuckled as she saw Lily's jaw clench as she tried not to snap at James as the wad of paper he and Sirius were throwing between them landed on her work. The next time James threw it to Sirius Kas reached over and caught it in her hand.

'If you two keep this up you'll have a severely pissed off Lily on your hands,' Kas said, Lily glared at her from her work. 'Hey don't glare at me I stopped them!'

Lily sighed and rubbed her forehead, 'I hate Transfiguration,' she muttered.

'Want some help?' James asked; Lily gave him an incredulous look.

'What? I was just offering to help!' James said, putting his hands up in defence. Lily sighed.

'If you can help me finish this I won't snap at you for the rest of the year,' she said. James nodded and went to sit next to her, reading through what she's written already.

'Is the world ending or are they actually getting along?' Diana asked; Emma put a hand to her heart.

'I think the world has indeed ended,' she said, melodramatically. Lily shot a glare at the twins.

'Keep it up and I'll burn your essays so you have to redo them,' she threatened. Both twins immediately shut up; Kas laughed and shook her head.

'You know Lily, sometimes you can be plain evil,' she said to her friend. Lily sent her a silencing glare and then turned her attention to James who was giving her a few ideas of what else to put in her essay. After a few minutes Rose yawned.

'I hope McGonagall brings the new student here soon, we were told to wait for her to get here so we could welcome her and show her to the dorm but if she's much longer I'm going to fall asleep right here,' she said; Diana nodded agreement.

'Ah well, McGonagall can't have a go at us for being up late if she told us to can she?' Diana pointed out, standing up from where she'd been sitting cross legged on the floor with Emma as she'd helped her twin think up things to put in her divination dream diary. The divination professor seemed to love dream diaries and set one almost every term on top of all their other work. She sat on the sofa next to Remus and stretched, looking over at the clock.

'It's almost eleven, where is she?' she wondered aloud. Emma shrugged in reply and jotted another made up dream into her diary for the night before, having not written in it since the last time the professor had checked them, which had been last week. Just then the portrait hole opened and Professor McGonagall stepped into the common room, she looked over at the group by the fireplace and smiled tiredly.

'Ah you are still up, I'm sorry it's so late. You should all get up to bed as soon as you've introduced yourselves,' she motioned to the girl behind her, 'This is Kira Slamen, and I trust you will welcome her properly and make her feel at home,' she turned to the girl, 'Your things will have been taken up already, I'm sorry but I must return to the Headmaster's office, I'm sure you can make your own introductions.'

And with that McGonagall left the common room; Lily smiled at the girl and stood up offering her hand. Kira had amber coloured skin and black hair that fell past her shoulders and a pair of dark blue almond shaped eyes; she returned Lily's smile and shook her hand.

'I'm Lily Evans, it's nice to meet you,' she said, she gestured to the people behind her. 'That's Larkasia Starsword, but-'

'Call me Kas,' Kas said with a grin at Lily, 'I don't like people calling me Larkasia…'

Sirius discreetly squeezed her hand, knowing that the only person who called her Larkasia was her Guardian.

'Anyway, that's Diana Clemment, and her twin Emma, and Rose Longuard makes up the Florettes. That's our group name… don't ask,' Lily added as she saw the questioning eyebrow raised by Kira, 'It was that or be known as 'The Marauders' Girls', which didn't really sit too well-'

'Seeing as Kas is the only one who can stand them,' Emma said with a grin at the Marauders.

'The Marauders?' Kira asked. Lily smiled.

'Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, James Potter-'

'Also known as the bane of Lily's existence on most occasions,' Diana added with a grin at James.

'What is it with you and not liking me? What did I do to you?' he asked, Lily raised an eyebrow.

'You really want me to answer that?'

'Actually… don't bother,' James replied.

'Anyway as I was saying… James Potter and Remus-'

'Don't bother, Lily,' Remus said, standing up, 'She'll be quite happy to ignore me.'

Everyone fell silent at that and looked between Remus and Kira; Kira glared at him.

'Well it's not as if you exactly acknowledged my presence is it?' she retorted; Remus looked her in the eye from his place on the sofa.

'Like you wanted me to; why didn't you stay in America anyway?'

'I can't control where my parents live, I didn't exactly jump for joy when they told me I'd be coming here. Especially having to be in the same year as _you_,' she snapped. Remus smiled sourly.

'Daddy's little princess didn't get her way for once?' he asked. Kira opened her mouth.

'You really are something, Remus Lupin, you think that _I'm_ the one to blame. I'm sorry for not wanting to carry on our friendship but you didn't exactly help matters, did you?'

'How did I not help matters?' Remus demanded, 'What did I do?'

'You just blew up at me for no good reason!'

'I had a damn good reason for shouting at you and you know it!' he retorted.

'What your own stupidity?' she demanded; Remus stood up, his stormy grey eyes turning black with anger.

'You think it was my own stupidity that made it happen? You have no _fucking_ idea what happened; all you saw was what happened to me afterwards,' he replied. Kira glared at him before speaking to the others, her eyes not leaving Remus.

'I suppose you all know he's a werewolf don't you?' she said, her voice casual. Shock registered in the group, and Remus' eyes clouded with pain.

'As a matter of fact we did,' Sirius replied, his voice cool, 'And we have known since our first year.'

'And you're okay with it? I mean you didn't see what he was like afterwards. I'm surprised Dumbledore even accepted him into Hogwarts,' Kira kept her eye contact with Remus; 'I mean he turned into a goddamn monster even as a human.'

Sirius and James leapt to their feet and Remus took a step towards Kira.

'James, Sirius sit down,' Kas said, Lily shivered slightly at Kas' tone of voice and looked at her friend uneasily. The other girls subconsciously backed away slightly. Kas stood up but neither James nor Sirius made any move to sit down.

'Remus, come on,' she placed a hand on his shoulder but he didn't take a step back, he stood rigid.

'Remus,' she said again, a more demanding tone in her voice. He turned to look at her and she held his gaze for a few moments; a battle of wills took place before he looked away and took a few steps back.

'Damn Alpha,' he muttered under his breath; Kas rolled her eyes.

'I heard that, you know.'

'You were supposed to,' he retorted, a slight smile in his eyes.

'Watch it, you challenge me I'll challenge you back,' she shot back, though there was a trace of amusement in her eyes.

'Bring it on,' he replied; the corners of his mouth twitching slightly as he tried to hold back a smile. Thank Merlin he had friends who could make him smile when he most needed it. The wolf related banter just didn't seem out of place and, if they ever did banter in the semi-pack hierarchy that had been established, it helped Remus come to terms with his wolf side. Kas made to swipe him round the head but Remus ducked, grinning slightly.

'Getting slow, Kas,' he said; Kas frowned, a smile playing on her lips.

'You better watch yourself, I'll show you whose getting slow tomorrow,' she said, 'You guys better get some sleep.'

It had been directed at the Florettes as well as the Marauders, and they all took the hint. Eventually it was just Kas and Kira let in the common room.

'You seem very close with him,' Kira commented, 'Why?'

'Because he's a friend,' Kas replied, 'Now you listen to me. I've found a way to help Remus through his transformations and it means I've got a good look at the wolf side of him. If you threaten to hurt any of the happiness he's found here at Hogwarts or to tell anyone else what he is I will personally make sure you regret it. Don't forget one other thing, you won't just have me on your back, you'll also have the other Marauders, and the Florettes. Remus is the only Marauder the Florettes all like and get on with all the time, so they won't be happy if you hurt him. The Marauders are as close as brothers, so you hurt one of them you hurt them all. I'm warning you now, because you don't know what they're like and what they are capable of. Sirius, James and Remus are three of the smartest wizards in our year and the Florettes are not far behind, if not equal, in standing with them. Watch who you make enemies with and who you hurt.'

'It's not my fault we're like this,' Kira told her, Kas shrugged.

'It's partly your fault; it's not all Remus'. If it wasn't your fault you wouldn't have started the argument. The way I see it you're both to blame.'

'He's a werewolf.'

'He's my friend, and I'll look out for him because of it,' Kas replied, 'I think it's time we went to bed. I'm afraid there's only one spare bed so you haven't got much of a choice.'

Kira nodded and followed Kas up the stairs to the dorm. In the opposite staircase a sandy haired boy watched them go, fighting back tears as he did. He never really understood how much the people around him cared about him until he'd heard what had just been said.

& & & & & &

_A man and woman were battling on a dais. The man ducked the woman's jet of red light: he was laughing at her. _

'_Come on you can do better than that!' he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room they were in._

_The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest._

_The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock._

_A boy with untidy black hair released another boy. He started jumping down some steps, pulling out his wand, as Dumbledore, too, turned towards the dais._

_It seemed to take the man an age to fall: his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from an arch._

_There was a look of mingled fear and surprise on the man's wasted, obviously once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind, then fell back into place._

_The woman gave a triumphant scream._

'_SIRIUS!' the boy yelled, 'SIRIUS!'_

_He had reached the floor, his breath coming in searing gasps. As he reached the ground and sprinted towards the dais another man grabbed him around the chest, holding him back._

'_There's nothing you can do, Harry-'_

'_Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!'_

'_-it's too late, Harry.'_

'_We can still reach him-' the boy, Harry, struggled hard and viciously, but the man would not let go…_

'_There's nothing you can do, Harry… nothing… he's gone.'_

Kas' eyes flew open and she sat up in bed, panting as if she'd been the one running down the stairs towards the dais. To the man who'd fallen through the veil. The man…

'Sirius…'

_A/N: So what do you think? Please R&R because I REALLY want to know what everyone thinks about this chapter. I've introduced a new character that I took out of one of my older fan fictions that I gave up on because I had too many of the same type going on at the same time._

_I want to thank my reviewers from the last chapter wolfinthelight26 and Imperial Princess. Thanks so much guys, you have no idea how happy it makes me getting reviews. A big thank you to everyone who read the chapter as well. Cookies for all the readers, and to my two reviewers I made you a special cake each!_

_Please, please, PLEASE review because I really want to know how this chapter was received by everyone who is reading this fic._

_Ciao for now,_

_Starsword_


	42. Midnight Meetings

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, blah di blah di blah. Actually no I do own Kas, and the other original characters. But all the rest I don't own. I own nothing. Honestly I'm not joking I'm a student I have nothing so please don't sue me! **

**Chapter 41 – Midnight Meetings**

Kas sat motionless for a while as she took a few deep breaths. She looked down when something landed on her arm, she blinked a few times and realised there were tears running down her cheeks. She put her hands to her face. She rarely cried; she'd only cried twice at Hogwarts, once in her first year and then once when the Marauders had first asked her to accompany Remus on full moons and she'd had to say no because she couldn't change. She'd cried when her family had been murdered, and she'd cried when Mrs Alem had died; the only other time she'd properly cried was when she'd tried to commit suicide at James' over the Christmas holiday. She'd cried a handful of times when she was with her guardian, but mostly she only let one or two tears fall, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of having made her cry. She couldn't remember the last time she'd cried because of a dream. But this one had been different. It had been so vivid; more like a memory than a dream. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths; trying to calm herself down. But all she could see was the look on the man's… Sirius' face as he'd fallen through the veil. His eyes had been dead, nothing of the spark, the life and laughter in them that had been in them that day, and that would be in them tomorrow.

She pulled back her curtains and made sure she hadn't woken anyone up; the only sound in the room was that of the deep breathing of sleeping bodies.

Kas looked at the clock; it told her it was one in the morning. She thought of going for a run to clear her head, and leaving a note for the others on her bedside table. She dismissed that thought; she could fly out of the window but that could wake one of the other's up if it got too cold, and they'd close it meaning she'd have to get back through the halls, and no matter how much time she'd spent with the Marauders recently she wouldn't be able to get through the halls twice without getting caught. She closed her eyes again and tried to calm her racing brain. As she did she saw Sirius' face again and she felt her throat constrict as she held back a sob. Without thinking she threw back the covers and stood up, walking over to the door. She inched it open, checking to make sure she hadn't woken anyone up, before slipping out and pulling it closed quietly behind her.

Her bare feet hardly made a sound as she crept down the stairs to the common room, thanking her luck that she'd worn her pyjama trousers to bed instead of the shorts she sometimes did, as a chilly wind swept up the stair case. She put her arms around her bare shoulders and checked the common room for any signs of life.

The common room was completely empty, not that she'd expected anyone to be down here, she and Kira had been the last people to leave the common room and she doubted anyone would have come down again afterwards. Except, perhaps, the Marauders. She looked over at the staircase to the boys' dormitories and walked over; she glanced over her shoulder and then slipped up the staircase.

Kas knew she'd reached the Marauder's dormitory because there was a brass plate that labelled it as the fourth year dormitory. She reached for the handle and then paused; what was she doing here? She was about to turn around and go back to her dormitory but she knew she'd never get any sleep if she didn't go in. The dream had unnerved her and she wanted to go in and see him sleeping in his bed before she returned to her own. Taking a deep breath she turned the door handle and pushed the door open. Quickly pushing the door closed behind her, Kas turned to look around the Marauder's dormitory. In the dim light Kas could make out that there was no floor to be seen. It was covered in all sorts of things from clothes to books and other objects she wouldn't like to put a name to in the dark conditions. Over in one corner was a clean piece of room. _Remus,_ she thought to herself, smiling slightly as she did. She could make out a pile of sweets next to the bed next to Remus'. _Peter,_ she thought to herself, shaking her head with a slight smile; that boy loved his sweets. That left her with two beds that held James and Sirius. Quietly stepping over the mess, and trying not to stand on anything that might explode, she made her way to the bed opposite Remus' in the other corner. She quietly pulled back the curtains and saw him lying on his back, his face turned towards the wall. Kas smiled as she looked down at Sirius as he slept, his chest rising and falling steadily; his face looked so much more alive, even in sleep, than it had in her dream. In her dream he'd been older, much older, and his face had seemed drawn and sunken; looking down at him now she couldn't believe it had been him in her dream. Even as she thought it Kas knew it was him, there was something in his eyes that had told her it was Sirius. Even if they had seemed deadened.

Kas reached down and gently pushed a strand of hair from his face, feeling tears welling up in her eyes as she did. Was it possible she'd seen a scene from the future? Was that how he was going to die? Kas shook herself; she was being stupid. It was probably just a random dream that her subconscious had dragged up because of everything that had been happening recently with Mike and Harstone. Knowing she should get back to her dormitory she reached down and pressed a light kiss onto his lips. As she stepped back to go she saw his eyelids flutter as he started to wake up; cursing herself silently she moved to the wall, hoping he'd fall straight back asleep again if he couldn't see her. Sirius opened his eyes and sat up, looking around the room. He reached for his wand.

'_Lumos'_ he muttered, turning to look at her.

'Kas? What's wrong?' he asked, throwing back the covers and standing up. Kas stood where she was and shook her head.

'Nothing, everything's fine. I'll just-'

'If everything's fine then why are you crying?'

'I'm not crying.'

Sirius took a few steps towards her and rubbed his thumb across her cheek, pulling his hand away and pressing it into her palm. It was wet with fresh tears. Kas put her hands to her face and felt the tears pouring down her cheeks. The curtains around the bed next to them were thrown open and a groggy voice spoke.

'Sirius? What's going on?' James asked, rubbing his eyes and putting his glasses on.

'Kas is here,' Sirius replied; James blinked, his eyes adjusting to the wand light and looked over at Kas.

'What's wrong?' he asked her, throwing back the covers and putting his feet on the floor.

'Nothing… I just… I'll just go-' she made to walk past Sirius, feeling stupid for coming up here and starting to feel very conscious of the fact that she was in the boys dormitory and at least two of them were only wearing pyjama trousers. The fact that she was wearing a pair of pyjama trousers and a top that was getting a little too small for her didn't help matters either.

Sirius blocked her escape and put an arm on her shoulder. 'Kas you wouldn't come up here randomly-'

'So you won't buy the story of me sleep walking?'

'Not a chance,' James replied, 'Sirius tried that on McGonagall and it failed. We're the masters of excuses so don't even try one.'

'-so what's wrong?' Sirius finished; Kas looked him straight in the eye and felt a lump rise in her throat. Without thinking she'd closed the gap between them and threw her arms around his neck, holding him close as she buried her head in his chest.

After a few seconds Sirius got over his surprise and wrapped his arms around her, glancing over at James who was looking at him questioningly. Sirius moved them back to his bed and sat down with her still clinging to him; he could feel her trembling but she'd stopped crying. He rubbed her back soothingly as they sat together; James brought the covers from his bed and threw them around Kas to keep out the worst of the chill in the room. Sirius smiled thankfully at his best friend. A dark shape knelt down in front of them and pressed a glass of water into Kas' hand. Kas smiled at him.

'Thanks, Remus,' she said, her voice slightly hoarse. He nodded and then stood up and sat next to James on his bed. She looked at the four Marauders and smiled slightly.

'Could at least _one_ of you _please_ put a shirt on,' she asked, 'Cos I'm starting to realise I'm in a room with four half naked guys.'

The Marauders laughed and James reached to the floor and pulled one of his shirts over his head. A few minutes later Peter and Remus returned with shirts on as well; Kas turned to Sirius with a raised eyebrow.

'What?' he asked. Kas shook her head.

'Of the four Marauders, I go out with the one who can't take hints,' she muttered.

'You love me really.'

'Put a goddamn shirt on Sirius,' she replied, smiling despite herself. Sirius winked at her before catching the shirt James threw at him and pulling it over his head.

'Happy now?'

'Very.'

James snorted from the bed opposite, 'You would choose one of the few girls who can hold her own wouldn't you, Sirius?'

Kas grinned impishly, 'I wouldn't say that if I were you, James, you forget how well _Lily_ can hold her own in your arguments.'

James scowled at her as the other three sniggered.

'You're changing the subject on purpose,' he told her; Kas' smile vanished. She sighed as she realised all four of the Marauders were watching her.

'I just had a bad dream,' she replied 'It freaked me out but I'm okay.'

She stood up and made her way to the door.

'Kas-'

'See you in the morning,' she said, standing in the doorway, 'Oh and try doing a bit of tidying up. It's almost impossible to move in here.'

She ducked behind the door as a sock came flying her way; she was down in the common room before she realised anyone was following her. She turned to face Sirius as he caught up with her.

'What's really wrong Kas?'

He took her in his arms again and she couldn't help but tell him the truth when he was here with her, still so alive.

'I saw you die,' the way he stiffened told her he hadn't expected that at all, 'You were older and.... you seemed dead inside, Sirius. It was you, but it wasn't; it was as if a part of you had died and you were a walking shell...'

'Shhh,' he tightened his grip on her and brought her closer to him, 'I won't leave you Kas; I promise I'll never leave until you tell me to.'

They stayed motionless for a few moments, letting her know he was still there just by his presence.

'Come back up with me.'

Kas looked at him, surprised, 'Sirius I'd be gutted by several different people if I did. Your fan club included.'

'Sod them; I want you up where I can take care of you. Please Kas, just for the rest of tonight. We can lend you the invisibility cloak to get back up to your room.'

She stood debating for a few minutes before nodding, 'Alright.'

In truth she wanted to be near him so if she did have another one of those dreams, he was close by; she let Sirius lead her back up the stairs and into the dormitory again, none of the other Marauders seemed surprised to see her there. The other three climbed into their beds, pulling their curtains closed with a quiet 'goodnight' as Sirius pulled her over to his bed. He pulled her down next to him, lying so her back was against his front.

'Go to sleep,' he muttered into her ear, pulling a few strands of her hair out of her face, 'I'll be here.'

She smiled and turned over, snuggling closer to him as she closed her eyes and he placed a light kiss to the top of her head.

'I love you,' she whispered. Sirius grinned like a dog who'd been given a bone; she rarely said those words at all and every time she did he couldn't help but feel lighter than air.

'Love you too, Kas.'

_A/N: Ok.... errr firstly I am REALLY sorry that it has taken me almost a year and a half to update. A YEAR AND A HALF. That's actually pretty shocking. Although in my defence I've had AS and A levels to cope with, plus going to Uni and life in general gets in the way. Also I'm afraid I'm getting stuck on a few ideas of how to fill up the time between now and the Christmas to follow so any suggestions are most welcome._

_I'm not even sure if people are still going to be reading this who were reading it before, if you are welcome back and thank you for being so patient with me! _

_Ok so please review, especially if you have anything you'd like to see that could give me a chapter or part of one. Say an interaction between two characters, because all I've got to work with at the moment, after coming back and re reading the whole of this fic, is the relationship between Remus and Kira. So please, please, please! Any reviews, just to tell me you want me to give this up completely, or with ideas, or just to even say you read it and to encourage me to rack my brains for an idea. It's all going to be read and I'll love you forever! _

_Again sorry for the kind of... relapse in attention this fic has been getting. I'm really bad with finishing stories, but I'm determined this time. Seriously ask my muses, they get annoyed with me._

_Love to you anyone who is reading this fic, especially if you took the time to read this note as well!_

_Starsword xxx_


	43. Bonding

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did A)I wouldn't be writing this disclaimer, B)I'd richer than the Queen, and C)This would be a book available in the shops and Sirius would never have died in the first place. The only things I own are my original characters; and that's only loosely until I manage to find a way to copyright them lol.**

**Chapter 42 – Bonding**

When Kas woke up that morning she was a little surprised to find herself in bed next to Sirius, although it was quite a nice surprise as far as she was concerned; she lay still for a while, something she never normally did, and let her mind wander. Though too soon her memory came back and she remembered the exact reason why she was currently in Sirius' bed, in the Marauder's room; she turned her head to watch him as he slept, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. Eventually she felt a familiar restlessness creeping up. Quietly as possible she crawled out of the bed and slipped down the staircase of the boys' dormitories; luckily it was still too early for anyone to be awake so she wasn't caught as she reached the common room and quietly ran up the stairs to her dormitory.

When she went inside she saw Lily sitting by the window reading a book, the red head looked up as she entered and put her book down.

'How long have you been up?' Kas asked as she softly closed the door behind her and went to sit on her bed, which just so happened to be next to the window Lily was sat at.

'About half an hour; I realised you were gone and I didn't feel like going back to sleep.'

'You didn't have to worry about me Lily.'

'I know but I like to every now and again.'

Kas smiled and chuckled at her friend's teasing smile.

'So where did you go?'

She knew there was no point lying to Lily, the girl would know if she'd lied to her; the girl could be too perceptive for her own good at times.

'I was in the Marauder's room.'

Lily's eyebrows shot up and she turned to face Kas with her body; suddenly a wicked grin broke out on her face.

'Kas you didn't!'

'Lily! No!'

Unfortunately her raised voice woke up Diana who was in the bed next to her.

'What? What's happened?'

Kas shot Lily a look to stay quiet, 'Nothing, Di, go back to sleep we still go another half an hour or so before we have to get up.'

She doubted the twin had heard her full sentence before she was asleep again; she turned back to Lily and quickly explained about the dream and Sirius wanting her to go back up to the dorm with him. When she was finished Lily put her hand on Kas', worry written across her face.

'Do you think you saw the future?'

Kas shrugged, 'I don't know. I don't see how; there's never been any Seers in our family as far as I know, and I don't see why I should be seeing something so far in the future. Maybe it was just an overactive imagination.'

Lily nodded but still looked worried, 'Maybe you should see the Divination teacher about it.'

Kas laughed, and then quickly stopped when she heard Diana moving in the bed next door again. 'After what Emma and Rose have said about her? No way.'

'Then go to Dumbledore.'

Kas shook her head, 'If it happens again I'll go to him, but I don't see why I should bother him with something as unimportant as a nightmare.'

Lily sighed, obviously unhappy, but decided not to argue; she looked over at the bed containing their newest dorm member.

'How do you think she knows Remus?' she asked; Kas shrugged.

'Probably from before Hogwarts, obviously she knew him when he was first bitten. I feel a bit bad about what I said to her last night, but I couldn't stand there and let her say all that about Remus. It was as if she was trying to make us hate him.'

The two girls sat in silent contemplation for a while, before Lily spoke up again.

'I don't think we should judge her on last night, Merlin knows she's not the only one to not get on with one of the Marauders, she just happens to argue with the one we can all stand.'

Kas' lips twisted up in a slight smile at that, 'We'll talk to her and see what happens; for all we know she could become another Florette.'

The two of them laughed softly and decided to start getting ready, they left a note for the others saying they'd gone down to breakfast and headed down the stairs to the Great Hall. They were one of the first people to arrive for breakfast, even most of the teacher's hadn't arrived yet; Dumbledore was sat at the head of the table and gave them a small smile when they entered, it might have been her imagination but Lily was certain that his smile turned sad as his gaze landed on Kas. They sat down at their usual place at the Gryffindor table and helped themselves to food, waiting for the others to come down.

'So what have we got today?' Kas asked, pulling a plate of toast towards her and taking two slices.

'Potions, Ancient Runes, Transfiguration, and I've got the afternoon off,' Lily said, grinning.

'Which means I have Care of Magical Creatures,' Kas said with a slight sigh, 'Ah well at least I get to be outside.'

Lily pointed to the ceiling above them, which looked like it was threatening to rain; Kas just shrugged.

'What makes you think I'm worried about going out in the rain?'

'Fair point.'

They continued to chat quietly and eat until the others joined them, bringing Kira with them; the group fell into an awkward silence, obviously none of them knew quite what to say after last night's outburst. Finally Kira spoke up.

'I'm sorry about what I said last night but-'

Kas put up a hand to stop her, 'Whatever the cause of the argument between you and Remus it's none of our business unless you _want_ to tell us. I'm sorry for what was said last night, but it had to be said so that you wouldn't say something that could get you into trouble with other students, especially the Marauders,' her lips curved up slightly, 'If there's one set of people you don't want to get on the wrong side of it's the Marauders.'

'Even worse if you get on the wrong side of us as well,' Diana added with a chuckle. Lily looked to the black haired girl and smiled.

'We're not going to hold it against you that you and Remus don't agree. Merlin knows me and James don't get along that well.'

'Correction,' Emma said, pointing at Lily with her fork, 'Lily can't stand James and James wants to snog her face off.'

Everyone apart from Lily laughed at that, Lily just sighed and shook her head.

'Oh come on Lils, you know it's true,' Emma said, despite herself Lily felt the corners of her mouth twitch up.

'So what subjects are you taking?' Rose asked her as the laughter settled down. Kira was about to reply when the post arrived; the twins had a letter from home that they spread out on the table between them to read, Lily had a letter from her parents, and Kas was surprised when she had two owls land in front of her.

'Wow Kas, you're popular today,' Rose commented. Kas pulled the letter and package from the two owls and left them eating some of her cornflakes as she pulled open the letter.

'_Kas,_

_We haven't spoken in a while and I wondered if you wanted to go for a walk this afternoon after Care of Magical Creatures. _

_See you later,_

_Severus.'_

She glanced up at the Slytherin table and gave her friend a small nod and a smile; Snape looked down, put she could see a faint replying smile forming on his face. At Lily's questioning glance she passed the note for the other girls to read as she started to untie the small package that the second owl had left, a letter was attached to it.

'Kas, be careful, Sirius and James are going to flip when they see you walking off with Snape,' Lily said, she sighed and nodded.

'But it's not really any of their business is it?'

'Still be careful Kas, remember what happened last time you showed any friendship to Snape in front of them,' Diana reminded her; Kas repressed a shudder, she'd turned around from that confrontation to see her guardian. Needless to say it hadn't been a nice surprise.

'They have no say in my life, so all they can do is complain.'

'Kas, Sirius-'

'Has no say in what happens in my life, Lily.' The unspoken words hung in the air between five of the girls; she didn't have any say in what happened in her life either. 'What subjects are you taking, Kira?'

No one questioned the abrupt change in subject, although Kira looked extremely confused.

'Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, as well as all our compulsory ones,' she replied.

'Same as me,' Lily said, smiling at her, 'You can sit with me in both if you want.'

Kira smiled gratefully back.

'Yeah but it's also the same classes as Re-'

A look from her twin made Emma shut her mouth before her muttering said too much.

'Well, well, well look who it is, boys,' the cold mocking voice could belong to only one person and the girls all gave a simultaneous groan as Mike appeared behind Kas, 'It's the little whore and her band of friends,' he noticed Kira sitting with them, 'And look they've got another little slut joining them-'

Whatever else he was going to say was cut off by a strangled choke. Mike's tongue had started to grow out of his mouth and turn an ugly purple colour. Kas looked at the girls and they all looked as surprised as her, glancing down to the Marauders showed that they'd only just realised Mike had turned up when everyone else had seen his tongue starting to grow; still confused she continued looking around the room until she spotted a familiar face quickly placing their wand back in their robes.

'What is the meaning of this?' Professor McGonagall could spot trouble quicker than any other teacher at Hogwarts.

'Professor, I think I can explain most of it,' Kas said, standing up and placing her unopened package and letter in the pocket of her robes.

'Miss Starsword come with me,' she turned to Mike's friends, 'Take him up to the hospital wing and get him seen to.'

Kas winked at the others to show that she had a plan before following McGonagall out of the Great Hall.

'What was all that about?' Kira asked as the noise in the hall started to increase again. Lily turned to her and smiled.

'This is going to take a lot of explaining,' she said before she, and the others, began to explain to Kira about what was happening in their group at the moment. By the time they'd finished they had walked back to Gryffindor tower, collected their bags, and were on their way to double Potions.

'Wow,' was the black haired girl's response when they'd finished their tale.

'Tell me about it,' Lily said with a smile as the door opened and they made their way into the dungeons. Ten minutes later Kas came in, apologised to the Professor and took a seat between Lily and Diana; as Slughorn restarted his speech Diana slid Kas a note from Emma.

_(A/N: Back to the letters people, and I realised we now have a problem in that K can't stand for Kas _and_ Kira. So K is still Kas and KI is Kira.)_

_E: What did you tell McGonagall?_

_K: I told her about Mike, right from the very beginning._

_D: What did she say?_

_K: She asked me why I hadn't told anyone before and then let me off seeing as we don't actually know who cast the curse. She's taking twenty house points from Mike and giving him two weeks worth of detention. Plus if he comes near us again and is threatening in any way we have to go straight to her._

_R: Wow Kas you sorted it all out in the space of half an hour. I'm impressed._

_K: What can I say? I'm brilliant._

_L: We filled in Kira by the way, she knows literally everything now._

_K: Even about Harstone?_

_L: It was hard to explain everything and leave him out._

_KI: I won't tell anyone I promise._

_K: Thanks Kira._

_KI: Does he always drone on like this or this just a treat for my first day?_

_R: No he's always like this. Well every other lesson anyway, we'll be doing practical next lesson._

_KI: Thank Merlin for that! He's boring me to death._

A scrap of paper landed on the desk in front of Lily, she unrolled it and then passed it to Kas.

_R: Whose the note from?_

_L: Sirius, wanting to know what happened with McGonagall. Or as he called her, old Minnie._

'Miss Clemment, is there anything particularly amusing you'd like to share with the class?' Slughorn asked Emma; the twin tried to straighten her face.

'No, Professor, sorry.'

_E: Old Minnie? When did they start calling her that?_

_D: No idea. Can you imagine the look on her face if he called her that in class?_

Diana nudged her twin in the ribs when it looked like she was going to burst into laughter, and she managed to cover it with a cough. Slughorn gave her an exasperated look.

'Miss Clemment!'

'Sorry, Professor.'

Slughorn sighed, but decided he obviously couldn't punish her for coughing and carried on with his lecture. Kas rummaged through her bag and found what she was looking for; unfurling the parchment she started to write.

_R: Is that the parchment the Marauders gave you?_

_K: Yeah, how did you know about it?_

_R: They showed it to us after the first break you spent with Harstone._

_K: Well we might as well continue this on the other one then._

Kas quickly scribbled a note telling the Marauders what had happened in McGonagall's office and the girls waited for a reply.

(_A/N: OK so I realised we have a problem again. R is for Rose and RE is Remus. Why did I have to make this so confusing for myself?)_

_RE: So it's all sorted then? No more problems from Mike?_

_K: Nothing from now on._

_S: Why didn't you do this to begin with?_

_L: Let's leave it shall we?_

_J: Hey what are you lot doing on our parchment?_

_K: It was easier than having to keep track of two notes at once._

_J: Fair enough. So Lily want to go out with me?_

_K: JAMES!_

_J: What? It's a valid question._

_KI: Is he always like this?_

_R: Usually it's worse actually. Although they haven't started arguing yet so count yourself lucky._

_D: But didn't Lily say last night that if James helped her with her homework she wouldn't snap at him for the rest of the year?_

_S: HA! Oh this is going to be fun!_

_K: And potentially fatal for someone._

_E: Knowing my luck it'll be me._

_RE: Na I'm betting on James; she just can't snap at him, doesn't mean she can't kill him or scream at him._

_J: Hey you're supposed to be on my side!_

_S: No way it's so much more fun being impartial spectators._

_D: Wow Sirius learnt some big words._

_P: Maybe the world is ending._

_E: He still needs to learn more important ones like commitment and relationships._

_L: Really? I think he's learnt them already._

_S: Yeah alright laugh it up guys!_

_J: So how are you finding things Kira?_

_K: James are you feeling ok you're being polite?_

_J: Oh sod off Kas._

_KI: Yeah it's been alright. Slightly surreal if I'm honest._

_R: I think we need to do some bonding tonight, girls._

_S: Ooo can I come?_

_K: No._

_S: Awww why not?_

_E: I have a brilliant idea!_

_D: Why am I worried now?_

_E: Truth or Dare!_

_KI: I haven't played that in years!_

_E: Well now's the time to start! We can set it all up in the dorm room._

_S: You sure we can't join in?_

_E: Might make things more interesting..._

_L: No!_

_K: Might be a good idea; and please don't kill me for saying that._

_L: Oh fine. But if it backfires don't blame me._

_J: Could always do it in our room._

_K: It's a pig sty!_

_D: How do you know?_

_RE: Yeah Kas how would you know? _

_K: Oh sod off you lot._

_E: Kas you DIDN'T!_

_K: Why is everyone asking me that? First Lily, now Emma..._

_S: Shall I just stay silent?_

_K: For once yes!_

_J: Alright we'll meet in our room at ten tonight. Promise we'll tidy up a bit before._

_K: More like Remus will tidy up and you lot will just cause more mess._

_S: Leave us alone!_

The bell rang to signal the end of the class and the two groups of teenagers collected all their stuff together. As they were leaving Kas took Kira to the side.

'Will you be okay going into their room tonight or do you want me to make up some excuse so we stay in ours?'

Kira smiled at her, 'It's fine, honestly. I guess we need to start learning to be civil to each other.'

Kas nodded, smiling back at the black haired girl, 'I'll have a word with Remus before as well, just to make sure he'll be civil to you as well.'

'Thanks.'

The two girls walked out of the dungeons and on to Transfiguration, catching up with the rest of the Florettes in the Entrance Hall.

_A/N: Well at least it didn't take me a year and a half this time. Yeah this was a bit of a random chapter but in the next one I promise: Kas annoying Sirius and James by going to talk to Snape, AND the Truth or Dare scene._

_Thanks to pippinwitch for my only review. I feel slightly unloved but then again it has been a year and a half. And I REALLY have to apologise for all the continuity errors I have in this fic. I'm half tempted to go back and rewrite it._

_Please, please, PLEASE review this time. As I said before I'm a little stuck for ideas on what to do next so any ideas are most welcome._

_Thanks for reading this guys, and please review._

_Starsword xx_


	44. Conversations and Revelations

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Yadda yadda yadda. On with the story!**

**Chapter 43 – Conversations and Revelations**

It was raining lightly all the way through Care of Magical Creatures putting most of the fourth years in a foul mood; James and Sirius found it highly amusing to charm bits of mud to fly into the backs of people's heads, they soon got the message to stop targeting Snape when Kas sent a lump flying onto both of them. They were spared an all out mud fight when Professor Kettleburn dismissed the class early saying it was better for them to get in and get a hot shower and changed before they all caught a cold, although most of them were sure the only reason they were allowed to go early was because he didn't want to have to break up a mud fight. The class started to slip and slide their way up the slopes of the grounds towards the castle; Kas held back slightly, hoping to slip away without Sirius or James noticing, unfortunately for her it wasn't that easy to slip away from a Marauder.

'Kas hurry up!' Sirius yelled as the wind started to pick up.

'You guys go on.'

'Why?'

'Do I have to tell you everything I do in my life?'

'You're going to see Snape aren't you?' James demanded a frown on his face as he looked at something over her shoulder. Kas just nodded as she turned to see what he was looking at, Severus was stood about ten feet away waiting for her.

'Don't you dare,' Sirius growled; Kas turned hurt filled eyes to him.

'Sirius, please don't try and control what I do with my life; haven't I lost enough freedom?'

She didn't wait for his answer, just turned and walked towards the waiting Slytherin; Sirius looked down at the ground, he looked at James.

'Please tell me I'm not controlling her.'

James shook his head, 'You don't Sirius, but maybe we should leave her alone when it comes to Snape; I don't agree with it any more than you do, but she's right, we can't keep limiting what she can and can't do. It's not fair on her.'

Sirius nodded and sighed, 'Come on we better go help Remus clean up the room, or we won't hear the end of it from him or the girls.'

James grinned, at least his friend wasn't letting this get him down, 'Race you.'

The two boys set off, laughing at each other as they continued to slip down the slopes and reached the Entrance Hall with mud dripping from their robes, racing through the corridors and hidden passageways of Hogwarts to the portrait of the Fat Lady. When they reached their dormitory Remus almost shoved them both in the shower; he'd done quite a good job at clearing a space in the middle of the room by throwing the things onto their owner's bed; which meant the other three had a lot of sorting to do.

'It was you who cursed Mike at breakfast wasn't it?'

Severus just nodded, 'It was about time I did something.'

Kas gave her friend a hug, 'Thanks, Sev, I appreciate it. Besides it meant I went to McGonagall and told her everything, he won't be bothering us anymore.'

'You hope.'

'Way to kill me high, Sev,' Kas said with a sour smile.

'Sorry. So what's been happening recently?'

Kas went on to explain what had happened over Christmas, Kira's rivalry with Remus, her dream from the previous night, and the truth or dare game planned for tonight.

'Do you think you saw the future?'

'I don't know. It seemed so real, but then again dreams can.'

They lapsed into silence for a few minutes as they sat down under one of the trees at the lake's edge.

'Kas, I need some advice.'

'What's wrong?'

'It's the people around me: Malfoy, Lestrange, Bellatrix and Narcissa Black, and some of the others. They've found a way to get to the Dark Lord and they want to join him.'

Kas stayed silent for a while, 'They want you to join up as well don't they?'

Severus just nodded.

'Why are you asking me for advice, Sev? No offence but I would have thought that you wanted to join him before now.'

'A year ago I would have jumped at the chance to become a Death Eater, to join the Dark Lord and fight for him. Now, I'm not so sure.'

'What made you change your mind?'

Severus thought for a while, wondering how best to word his reply.

'It's you, Kas.'

Kas looked shocked, 'Me? Sev I-'

'Let me explain before you get the wrong idea. You were willing to become my friend, after all the fights we'd had and the rivalry between our friends. Until then I'd thought the only place I'd be accepted was if I joined with the Dark Lord. You showed me different, Kas, and the other Florettes started to be civil to me, gave me a chance as well. Now I'm wondering if, maybe, I could be accepted somewhere other than with the Dark Lord; but it would mean going against the friends I have in Slytherin, and running the risk of being hated by my whole house.'

For a few moments Kas remained silent, 'Sev, I can't tell you what to do, the choice is up to you. For all we know Voldemort could be right, but he could also be wrong; it all depends on your point of view. I became friends with you, knowing there would be some topics on which we would never agree and I won't hold it against you if you _did_ decide to join Voldemort.'

'You would be friends with someone you _knew _was a Death Eater? Even though some of your friends are Mud- Muggleborns?'

'Yes I would, but only because I know that deep down you are a good person, it is just your beliefs that are different to mine. But take this into account before you make your decision, Sev: if you stay on our side, Dumbledore's side, you can always join Voldemort later if you still feel it is the right thing for you to do. If you join with Voldemort and later regret that decision you can never leave his side, if you want to leave him he'll kill you.'

Severus nodded, 'Voldemort killed your family, Kas, and yet you can calmly sit there and tell me you wouldn't hate me if I joined him. How?'

Kas smiled, 'He killed my family, Severus, not you; yes I miss them, but I have a family here at Hogwarts.'

'He's going to take you away us. Harstone will take you away from us, and he's in league with Voldemort. How can I think of joining him when he's taking my best friend away from me?'

Kas put her arm around him and brought him into a hug, 'Because this is how you were raised, Severus, and they say that blood is thicker than water. It takes a lot to go against your family.'

'Black did. And Merlin help me but I respect him for it.'

Kas grinned, 'I won't tell him you said that. Sirius had James to go to, Sev, and James' parents accepted him like a second son; he had another family to go to.'

'I don't know what to do. I wouldn't have told you this, Kas, but you're the only one I can trust with this; the only one who wouldn't judge me either way.'

'I'll always help you, no matter what Sev; but if you do choose to become a Death Eater, you know there will only be so much support I can give you.'

Severus nodded, 'I know, and I wouldn't ask you to support me at all if I did become a Death Eater; I wouldn't even ask you to like me.'

'You'd still be the same person wouldn't you? You would just have made a different choice to me. Anyway it well may be that the Ministry stops him before you have to make that choice.'

'He's getting more powerful as the weeks go past. How d you expect them to stop him so soon?'

Kas smiled, 'Maybe they'll finally listen to Dumbledore for a change.'

The two friends laughed at the impossibility of the statement and headed back into the castle before they were late for dinner. They parted in the Entrance Hall, waving goodbye before one walked down to the dungeons and the other walked up the stairs to the Fat Lady's portrait.

Lily didn't ask her friend what had been said between her and Snape when she walked in soaking wet from the rain outside, just handed her a towel and let her have her shower. She sighed as her friend walked into the bathroom, Kas was too independent for her own good and it made Lily worry about her more and more; she watched and listened as Diana and Emma talked animatedly with Kira. The black haired girl had proved to be a good friend over the course of the day and Rose had even hinted at making her a Florette; something that would probably happen before they went down for dinner. It didn't take Kas long to have a shower, and when she walked in already dry and changed and dried her hair with a flick of her wand, she'd only been gone fifteen minutes. She exchanged a look with the red head and then turned to Kira.

'What's your middle name, Kira?'

Kira looked at Kas in confusion, 'Ivy. Why?'

Kas grinned at the other girls assembled in the dormitory; 'What do you think girls?'

Lily watched as, one by one, each of the girls answered with their own grins; she turned to smile at the black haired newcomer.

'Welcome to the Florettes Kira.'

After dinner Kas held back to talk to Remus while the others headed up to the common room.

'Remus, I have a favour to ask you.'

'It's about Kira isn't it?'

Kas smiled, 'You guessed it.'

He sighed, 'You want us to be civil tonight don't you?'

Kas nodded, 'Please Remus, it must be hard for her changing schools; especially since she knew she was going to be coming here when you obviously parted badly.'

Remus stopped and turned to look at Kas, 'She was one of the first people who saw me after I'd been bitten, Kas, and she turned away from me as if I was a monster. As if I'd _asked_ to be bitten. She made it seem as if I'd become a completely different person in the space of a few seconds, she wouldn't even let me explain. We'd been friends since we were babies, our parents were good friends, and it hurt so much to be rejected by someone who'd known me all my life.'

'Remus-'

She pulled him into her arms as he started to lose his battle with past wrongs; he didn't cry, didn't let a single tear fall, he'd already cried the only tears he'd cry over her rejection, but he needed the comfort his friend was giving him.

'Show her who you are, the Remus we know and love, and she'll see how wrong she was.'

'Thank you.'

'Come on we better get back. Sirius and James have probably already trashed your room again.'

'Great, just what I need, more mess to tidy.'

The duo laughed as they followed the path their friends had taken up to the common room.

_A/N: Ok I know I said I was going to put the Truth or Dare scene in here as well but, if I'm honest, I thought it would make the chapter too long. Plus I'm feeling really ill at the moment and I wanted to get this posted so I thought I'd keep it a similar length to past chapters and write the next bit when I'm feeling a bit better. Especially since I'm juggling writing this and my novel. Ah well it'll all get done eventually._

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I'm surprised so many reviewed if I'm honest, mainly because I wasn't sure how many could be bothered to read the whole story and how many had stayed with it even after a year and a half! So here's my personal thank you's._

_**Pippinwitch: **__Ok so I know I didn't say what was in the parcel this chapter but I'll get round to it at some point, I promise. Maybe not the next one cos that might be taken up with the truth or dare scene and everything that comes with it. So probably in the chapter after it._

_**Hpfreak:**__ What happened between Lily and Ben will be revealed in a truth next chapter I promise. Here's the update you so wanted lol. Thanks for the review!_

_**Thewandofdestiny: **__Thanks for the review. Since I came back to the story after quite a long absence there are things like the Animagi progress that I'm just realising I need to incorporate into the story. Probably won't be done in the next chapter but definitely in the one after. I've got some ideas for the truth or dare scene but that's definitely a good idea to google some. I always run out of ideas in truth or dare lol._

_Please R&R it does make me happy, especially since I'm ill at the moment (hint hint). Anyway next chapter will be the truth or dare scene and I might be able to incorporate one or two extras into it as well. Thanks for reading!_

_~Starsword~_


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